The University of Wisconsin football team’s stay at a hotel could be at issue in a lawsuit aimed at President Donald Trump.
Wisconsin players, coaches and staff stayed at the Trump National Doral, in Doral, Fla., for a week leading up to the Orange Bowl, where they took on the Miami Hurricanes.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports, the stay could be part of a lawsuit filed by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia that alleges Trump has violated anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution by accepting millions from foreign and domestic government entities.
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh told the Washington Post that the Badgers’ stay would be in violation of the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from accepting benefits or financial rewards from state governments.
“Something like that is a problem, without question,” Frosh said. “It’s another example of how the potential for corruption is enormous.”
Wisconsin didn’t pick to stay at the National Doral, but rather the Orange Bowl has had a contract with the resort since 2014. In all Wisconsin sent 220 students and athletic department staff to the National Doral for seven nights. The Post estimates the stay cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000.
