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Liberal Groups Protest Neil Gorsuch Speech at Trump Hotel

September 28, 2017

Protesters demonstrated Thursday against Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch's first speech in Washington, D.C. at the Trump International Hotel.

The protests were in response to Gorsuch's appearance at the Trump property, whose current legal state they say possibly violates the Constitution, Circa reports.

The Trump International has hosted a number of foreign governments, which critics say runs afoul of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which says that "no person holding any office of profit or trust under [the United States], 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."

Among those who planned to protest Thursday were liberal groups People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Gorsuch was set to address the 50th anniversary of the Fund for American Studies (TFAS), a conservative organization which says its mission is to "change the world by developing leaders for a free society."

"We chose the venue, [and] we had no political agenda," TFAS spokesman Steve Slattery said. "It's just a nice hotel and a new venue for us."

"We were looking for a speaker, [and] so we thought, 'let's invite Justice [Antonin] Scalia's replacement,'" Slattery said.