President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to block a subpoena of the president's financial records from an accounting firm, escalating tensions between the White House and congressional Democrats who are investigating his business empire.
In a new court filing, Trump’s attorneys asked for an order to block Cummings’ subpoena to Mazars USA. The Democratic lawmaker is attempting to obtain eight years of the president’s financial records from Mazars, which had asked the committee for a so-called friendly subpoena so that it could comply with the request.
“We will not allow congressional presidential harassment to go unanswered,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said in a statement Monday.
The committee is investigating allegations from Trump’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen that the president at times artificially inflated and deflated his assets for his personal benefit. Cummings requested similar documents last month from financial giant Capital One, which also asked for a friendly subpoena.
Republicans have contended that the investigation is intended to embarrass Trump, and they said the subpoena to Mazars — which Cummings formally issued last week — amounts to an abuse of power. The White House has refused to comply with various congressional demands for documents and witness testimony on a host of subjects including Trump’s tax returns and the White House security clearance process.
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04.24.2024