Trump sues to block Congress subpoena for his financial records

[dukkha]

President Donald Trump on Monday filed suit to keep U.S. lawmakers from obtaining his financial records, the first salvo in what promises to be an escalating legal battle with Democrats in Congress.

The suit seeks to block a subpoena issued by the Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Committee for information about Trump's personal and business finances, alleging Democrats have launched "all-out political war" on Trump with subpoenas as their "weapon of choice."

The committee's subpoena sought eight years of documents from Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump to prepare financial statements, related to its investigation of allegations Trump inflated or deflated financial statements for potentially improper purposes.

Elijah Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, issued the subpoena to the president's accountant after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

"Chairman Cummings' subpoena is invalid and unenforceable because it has no legitimate legislative purpose," Trump's lawyers said in a filing, arguing it exceeded constitutional limits on the power of Congress to investigate.

"Its goal is to expose Plaintiffs’ private financial information for the sake of exposure, with the hope that it will turn up something that Democrats can use as a political tool against the President now and in the 2020 election," they said

The filing was the first effort by Trump's legal team to quash multiple investigations of Trump and his finances by Democratic-led committees in Congress. His lawyers made it clear they would resist those efforts.

"Democrats are using their new control of congressional committees to investigate every aspect of President Trump’s personal finances, businesses, and even his family," Trump's lawyers said.

"Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically," they said.

The Trump Organization, the president's privately owned real estate company, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Trump is suing in his individual capacity, and is represented by a private law firm rather than government lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee also had objected to the subpoena from Cummings, arguing it was an abuse of congressional authority to target the private financial information of Trump.

"As a firm we will respect this process and will comply with all legal obligations," Mazars said in a statement. "As with all clients, we are precluded by our professional code of conduct and corporate policy from commenting further on inquiries of this nature."

Ross Garber, a Washington lawyer who focuses on political investigations, said the lawsuit might be dismissed because of the Speech or Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which offers broad legal protection to members of Congress for actions they undertake as legislators.

But Garber also said there was some merit to Trump's argument that the subpoena was brought for the improper purpose of unearthing politically damaging information about him, rather than for a legitimate legislative purpose.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-sue...7--sector.html

[dukkha]

issued the subpoena to the president's accountant after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

[PostmodernProphet]

color us surprised........

[ThatOwlWoman]

issued the subpoena to the president's accountant after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

Sounds like a probable cause thing to me, how about you?

The days are long gone when I wanted the (D)s to take the high road and not act like the (R)s did when President Obama held office. Nope, gloves are off now. In the immortal words of Willard in that horror movie of the same name: "Tear him up!"

[lisasanders1964]

President Donald Trump on Monday filed suit to keep U.S. lawmakers from obtaining his financial records, the first salvo in what promises to be an escalating legal battle with Democrats in Congress.

The suit seeks to block a subpoena issued by the Democratic chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Committee for information about Trump's personal and business finances, alleging Democrats have launched "all-out political war" on Trump with subpoenas as their "weapon of choice."

The committee's subpoena sought eight years of documents from Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump to prepare financial statements, related to its investigation of allegations Trump inflated or deflated financial statements for potentially improper purposes.

Elijah Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, issued the subpoena to the president's accountant after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

"Chairman Cummings' subpoena is invalid and unenforceable because it has no legitimate legislative purpose," Trump's lawyers said in a filing, arguing it exceeded constitutional limits on the power of Congress to investigate.

"Its goal is to expose Plaintiffs’ private financial information for the sake of exposure, with the hope that it will turn up something that Democrats can use as a political tool against the President now and in the 2020 election," they said

The filing was the first effort by Trump's legal team to quash multiple investigations of Trump and his finances by Democratic-led committees in Congress. His lawyers made it clear they would resist those efforts.

"Democrats are using their new control of congressional committees to investigate every aspect of President Trump’s personal finances, businesses, and even his family," Trump's lawyers said.

"Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically," they said.

The Trump Organization, the president's privately owned real estate company, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Trump is suing in his individual capacity, and is represented by a private law firm rather than government lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Republicans on the Oversight Committee also had objected to the subpoena from Cummings, arguing it was an abuse of congressional authority to target the private financial information of Trump.

"As a firm we will respect this process and will comply with all legal obligations," Mazars said in a statement. "As with all clients, we are precluded by our professional code of conduct and corporate policy from commenting further on inquiries of this nature."

Ross Garber, a Washington lawyer who focuses on political investigations, said the lawsuit might be dismissed because of the Speech or Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which offers broad legal protection to members of Congress for actions they undertake as legislators.

But Garber also said there was some merit to Trump's argument that the subpoena was brought for the improper purpose of unearthing politically damaging information about him, rather than for a legitimate legislative purpose.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-sue...7--sector.html

If I was squeaky clean - I'd happily hand over the unredacted Mueller report and ALL my tax returns.

And when it is completely proven that nothing unethical or criminal has been committed - THEN I would sue the pants off the democrats, the media and every fucking arsehole whon accused me.

Hmmm - wonder why trump isn't doing this?

[lisasanders1964]

LMFAO

"Instead of working with the President to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically," they said.

On the day of his first inauguration, McConnell ordered the entire republicunt party NOT to work with President Obama to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans.

McConnell and the republicunts OPPOSED, OBJECTED and BLOCKED EVERYTHING President Obama tried to do to help Americans.

President Obama would have got America out of dubya's recession a lot earlier if it wasn't for the republicunts refusal to work with President Obama.

So all I have to say to McConnell and the entire republicunt party - GET FUCKED.

We had a blue wave in 2018 - but get ready for the BLUE TSUNAMI IN 2020.

[volsrock]

If I was squeaky clean - I'd happily hand over the unredacted Mueller report and ALL my tax returns.

And when it is completely proven that nothing unethical or criminal has been committed - THEN I would sue the pants off the democrats, the media and every fucking arsehole whon accused me.

Hmmm - wonder why trump isn't doing this?

U dont have tax returns, u have to work! welfare whores dont file um

[Yurt]

Sounds like a probable cause thing to me, how about you?

The days are long gone when I wanted the (D)s to take the high road and not act like the (R)s did when President Obama held office. Nope, gloves are off now. In the immortal words of Willard in that horror movie of the same name: "Tear him up!"

LOL, they started it.

Trump will win this partisan battle. Democrats will fail, again and only make Trump look better.

[Yurt]

If I was squeaky clean - I'd happily hand over the unredacted Mueller report and ALL my tax returns.

And when it is completely proven that nothing unethical or criminal has been committed - THEN I would sue the pants off the democrats, the media and every fucking arsehole whon accused me.

Hmmm - wonder why trump isn't doing this?

To stop the unconstitutional democrats from abusing the law solely for political purposes.

[Centerleftfl]

From all I hear and read, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of stopping it. Apparently they have the oversight right to subpoena and it has been ruled on many times.

[lisasanders1964]

Can you imagine if President Obama sued to stop the public seeing his tax returns or his birth certificate? trump would be bitching about it on twitter a hundred times a day. Just like he bitched about President Obama playing golf ONE TIME IN 6 MONTHS.

Meanwhile trump spent Easter playing golf and fucking anyone but his whore wife.

[Tkaffen]

Sounds like a probable cause thing to me, how about you?

The days are long gone when I wanted the (D)s to take the high road and not act like the (R)s did when President Obama held office. Nope, gloves are off now. In the immortal words of Willard in that horror movie of the same name: "Tear him up!"

Sounds like a fishing expedition.
You didn’t care about Hillary’s taxes, or Billy’s taxes or Obama’s taxes.
Why are you so concerned about Trump’s taxes.

I’ll bet the hypocrite Sanders is sorry he turned over his taxes. His bull shit about the 1% and he fits that category. As usual it is do as I say and not what I do.

[dukkha]

Sounds like a probable cause thing to me, how about you?

The days are long gone when I wanted the (D)s to take the high road and not act like the (R)s did when President Obama held office. Nope, gloves are off now. In the immortal words of Willard in that horror movie of the same name: "Tear him up!"

sounds like a bunch of lies from the liar Cohen to me

why are the gloves off "now?" is there a new edition of Trump Derangement Syndrome out? TDS 2.0 ?

[dukkha]

From all I hear and read, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of stopping it. Apparently they have the oversight right to subpoena and it has been ruled on many times.

you idiot.
Tax returns are confidential -on what grounds is there a subpoena? because Cohen said so?

The committee's subpoena sought eight years of documents from Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump to prepare financial statements, related to its investigation of allegations Trump inflated or deflated financial statements for potentially improper purposes.

Elijah Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, issued the subpoena to the president's accountant after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified to Congress in February that Trump had misrepresented his net worth.

[RB 60]

If I was squeaky clean - I'd happily hand over the unredacted Mueller report and ALL my tax returns.

And when it is completely proven that nothing unethical or criminal has been committed - THEN I would sue the pants off the democrats, the media and every fucking arsehole whon accused me.

Hmmm - wonder why trump isn't doing this?

If I were "squeaky clean," I'd refuse to cooperate and give them as much grief as humanly possible. I'd drag it out as long as I could, then, win or lose, I'd show them what assholes they were and then sue the hell out of them.