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Karl Racine
Karl Racine (Democratic Party) was the Attorney General of Washington D. C.. He assumed office in 2015. He left office on January 2, 2023.
Racine (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Attorney General of Washington D. C.. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
When he was sworn into office, Racine became the district's first elected attorney general.[1]
Racine won another term in the general election on November 6, 2018, defeating Libertarian Joe Henchman with 92.8 percent of the vote.
While serving as attorney general, Racine joined Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) in filing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump (R) on June 12, 2017. The lawsuit alleged that Trump had not fulfilled his pledge to separate his political activities from his business ventures while serving as president.
Racine was a superdelegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention from Washington, D.C. Superdelegates were not bound by the results of their state’s primary or caucus to support a specific presidential candidate. Racine supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
Elections
2022
Karl Racine did not file for re-election in 2022.
2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of Washington D.C.
Incumbent Karl Racine defeated Joe Henchman in the general election for Attorney General of Washington D.C. on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Karl Racine (D) | 92.8 | 207,451 |
 | Joe Henchman (L) | 6.7 | 14,941 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 1,233 | ||
| Total votes: 223,625 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of Washington D.C.
Incumbent Karl Racine advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Washington D.C. on June 19, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Karl Racine | 100.0 | 71,609 |
| Total votes: 71,609 | |||
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Noteworthy events
Lawsuit against President Trump
On June 12, 2017, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine (D) filed a lawsuit in federal court against President Donald Trump (R). The filing alleged that Trump had not fulfilled his pledge to separate his political activities from his business ventures while serving as president.[2]
This was the first suit of its kind to be filed against Trump by government officials.[3] The lawsuit was filed as a civil action and did not present criminal charges against Trump. The filing presented the following allegations:[2]
| “ |
President Trump, acting through companies he owns or controls, has violated both the Foreign Emoluments Clause and the Domestic Emoluments Clause by receiving millions of dollars in payments, benefits, and other valuable consideration from foreign governments and persons acting on their behalf, as well as federal agencies and state governments. His repeated, ongoing violations include remuneration derived from: (a) leases of Trump properties held by foreign-government-owned entities; (b) purchase and ownership of condominiums in Trump properties by foreign governments or foreign-government-controlled entities; (c) other property interests or business dealings tied to foreign governments; (d) hotel accommodations, restaurant purchases, the use of venues for events, and purchases of other services and goods by foreign governments and diplomats at hotels, restaurants, and other domestic and international properties owned, operated, or licensed by President Trump; (e) continuation of the General Services Administration lease for President Trump's Washington, D.C. hotel despite his breach of the lease's terms, and potential provision of federal tax credits in connection with the same property; and (f) payments from foreign-government-owned broadcasters related to rebroadcasts and foreign versions of the television program 'The Apprentice' and its spinoffs. Moreover, President Trump, by asserting that he will maintain the interests at issue, is poised to engage in similar constitutional violations for the duration of his presidency.[4] |
” |
The Foreign Emoluments Clause stipulates that "no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State." The Domestic Emoluments Clause provides that the president "shall not receive within that Period [i.e., the term of office] any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them."[5][6]
On July 10, 2017, 35 of the 64 Republican members of the Maryland General Assembly sent a letter to Frosh asking that he end the lawsuit and calling on him to justify his involvement in the suit.[7]
On September 29, 2017, Trump filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.[8] On November 29, 2017, United States District Court for the District of Maryland Judge Peter Messitte ordered businesses associated with the president to retain records with relevance to the suit ahead of potential subpoenas.[9]
On July 25, 2018, Messitte denied Trump's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Messitte ruled that the plaintiffs had "plausibly alleged that the President has been receiving or is potentially able to receive 'emoluments' from foreign, the federal and state governments in violation of the Constitution."[10]
Messitte's ruling was the first made by a federal court establishing a definition of emolument. Messitte defined emolument as any "'profit,' 'gain,' or 'advantage.'" Messitte rejected the definition proffered by the United States Department of Justice, which defined an emolument as "a payment made in connection with a particular employment over and above one's salary."[11][12]
The Supreme Court of the United States brought an end to the lawsuit in January 2021, declaring it moot because Trump was no longer in office.[13]
See also
- Washington, D.C.
- Mayoral election in Washington, D.C. (2018)
- United States municipal elections, 2018
- Democratic National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Presidential election in Washington, D.C., 2016
- State attorneys general opposing the Trump administration
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, "About the Attorney General," accessed January 31, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Office of the Attorney General of Washington, D.C., "The District of Columbia and the state of Maryland v. Donald J. Trump - Complaint," filed June 12, 2017
- ↑ Reuters, "Attorneys general to sue over foreign payments to Trump hotels: source," June 12, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ United States Constitution, "Article I, Section 9," accessed July 30, 2018
- ↑ United States Constitution, "Article II, Section 2," accessed July 30, 2018
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "GOP lawmakers: attorney general is 'grandstanding' with Trump lawsuits," July 10, 2017
- ↑ Online Athens, "Trump asks judge to dismiss ‘emoluments’ case against him," September 30, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Maryland, D.C. get subpoena power in Trump emoluments suit," November 29, 2017
- ↑ NPR, "Federal Lawsuit Against President Trump's Business Interests Allowed To Proceed," July 25, 2018
- ↑ American Bar Association, "How Courts Work: Steps in a Trial: Discovery," accessed July 30, 2018
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of Maryland, "District of Columbia v. Trump: Opinion," July 25, 2018
- ↑ Federal News Network, "Supreme Court ends Trump emoluments lawsuits," January 25, 2021
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Attorney General of Washington D.C. 2015-2023 |
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