Donald Trump to be sued over foreign payments by attorneys general

Officials in Maryland and the US capital Washington will sue President Donald Trump for accepting payments and benefits from foreign governments through his business empire, news reports have said.

The suit to be unveiled today centers on the so-called emoluments clause, which bans US officials from taking gifts or other benefits from foreign governments.

An NGO that centers on ethics issues filed a similar suit in January. But this is the first one presented by government entities. The announced lawsuit adds to Trump's woes as he grapples with congressional and a special prosecutor's probes into his campaign's alleged ties with Russia, which US intelligence agencies say meddled aggressively in the 2016 election to held Trump win.

Since taking power in January, Trump has turned day to day control over his real estate empire and other assets to his adult sons, but not sold them off as many in America said he should to avoid conflicts of interest. The lawsuit will be filed Monday by the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, the Washington Post reported.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said the case is about Trump's failure to separate his personal interests from his presidential duties.