Cork Wine Bar sues Trump hotel over unfair competition
How do you compete with a restaurant at President Donald Trump’s hotel down the road from the White House? Two Washington restaurateurs argue you can’t — and have sued him over it.
The plaintiffs are Khalid Pitts and Diane Gross. They allege unfair competition under local law and have filed a lawsuit against Trump personally and the Trump Old Post Office LLC, which operates the Trump International Hotel. The two plaintiffs own Cork Wine Bar, which is in the Logan Circle neighborhood, about a mile and a half away from the hotel. Cork Wine Bar is a well-regarded brick-walled market and wine bar that serves New American small plates.
The lawsuit claims that clients seeking to do business with and influence the U.S. government are more likely to do business at the Trump Washington, D.C. restaurant and hotel. The plaintiffs also allege that Mr. Trump, his family and White House staffers have continued to promote the hotel, citing, for example, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s comments at news conferences praising the hotel and the president’s own favorable remarks about the hotel in his meetings with elected officials.
Gross and Pitts are asking that the hotel be closed for the duration of Mr. Trump’s presidency or they ask that Mr. Trump resign. These options are unlikely, CBS News legal correspondent Paula Reid notes, but the lawsuit credibly highlights the how the Trump hotel property has benefited from the presidency through the overt actions of White House officials.
Under constitutional immunity protections, Trump can’t be sued over official acts in the Oval Office. But he can be named in lawsuits for personal actions or those involving his businesses.
Trump turned over management of his companies to his two adult sons and a senior company executive. He retains ownership of his global business empire, which includes the hotel.
CBS News’ Paula Reid contributed to this report.
