A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of House Democrats in their efforts to obtain President Donald Trump’s financial records, marking the first legal victory for Democrats as the Trump administration stonewalls their attempts at congressional oversight.
“It is not for the court to question whether the Committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations.” Judge Amit Mehta wrote in a ruling Monday. “Accordingly, the court will enter judgment in favor of the Oversight Committee.”
President Trump and the Trump Organization filed suit against the Democratic chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, last month, seeking relief from his subpoena request for the president’s financial records.
The court also denied their request for a stay pending appeal.
The president and his legal team decried Democrats’ efforts to obtain Trump’s financial information as an “all-out political war,” in which “subpoenas are their weapon of choice.”
Pete Hegseth faces Congress over Pentagon’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion budget as Democrats vow to block it
Lightning Strikes Feet from Protesters Opposing Erika Kirk Speech: Report
Tulsi Gabbard Launches Investigation on 120 US-Funded Biolabs – Dozens Located in Ukraine
Fragile relationship with House GOP has Senate Republicans warning ‘something needs to change’
Michigan Democrats propose package seeking to legalize assisted suicide
Minnesota Senate votes to ban ICE from wearing masks, allow residents to sue for constitutional violations
Survey work begins at proposed site of Trump’s Triumphal Arch in DC
Liberal arts college drops prof’s name from campus hall after grave dig controversy
Suspected roadway gunman with reported criminal history sparks outrage after drivers shot
Stacey Abrams hit with subpoena in alleged campaign finance violations saga: ‘No one is above the law’
California mayor accused of secretly working for China, spreading propaganda while in office: feds
‘I’m not some hooker’: GOP senators release Hunter Biden texts buried by DOJ
Members of Congress using online prediction markets? Don’t bet on it
Texas man accused in pregnant wife’s murder fights to remain in Italy, citing ‘lifestyle and culture’
Breaking: UAE Has Been Secretly Striking Iran, Fighting Alongside US and Israel
But in his order on Monday, Judge Mehta, an Obama appointee, sided with Democrats, whom he wrote have “facially valid legislative purposes” to obtain information requested in their subpoena of Mazars USA, the president’s former accounting firm.
“It is simply not fathomable that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a President for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct — past or present — even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry,” Mehta wrote.
Cummings served a subpoena to Mazars USA in April seeking ten years of the president’s financial records in an effort to corroborate elements of Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony before the committee. Cohen claimed that Trump had defrauded insurance companies by misrepresenting the value of his assets.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat whose committee is also seeking information from the Trump administration, reacted to news of the decision, calling it “very important.”
Pete Hegseth faces Congress over Pentagon’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion budget as Democrats vow to block it
Lightning Strikes Feet from Protesters Opposing Erika Kirk Speech: Report
Tulsi Gabbard Launches Investigation on 120 US-Funded Biolabs – Dozens Located in Ukraine
Fragile relationship with House GOP has Senate Republicans warning ‘something needs to change’
Michigan Democrats propose package seeking to legalize assisted suicide
Minnesota Senate votes to ban ICE from wearing masks, allow residents to sue for constitutional violations
Survey work begins at proposed site of Trump’s Triumphal Arch in DC
Liberal arts college drops prof’s name from campus hall after grave dig controversy
Suspected roadway gunman with reported criminal history sparks outrage after drivers shot
Stacey Abrams hit with subpoena in alleged campaign finance violations saga: ‘No one is above the law’
California mayor accused of secretly working for China, spreading propaganda while in office: feds
‘I’m not some hooker’: GOP senators release Hunter Biden texts buried by DOJ
Members of Congress using online prediction markets? Don’t bet on it
Texas man accused in pregnant wife’s murder fights to remain in Italy, citing ‘lifestyle and culture’
Breaking: UAE Has Been Secretly Striking Iran, Fighting Alongside US and Israel
“It shows that the courts understand the importance of oversight even if the president does not,” Schiff said.
“Mazars USA will respect the legal process and fully comply with its legal obligations. We believe strongly in the ethical and professional rules and regulations that govern our industry, our work and our client interactions. As a matter of firm policy and professional rules we do not comment on the work we conduct for our clients,” Mazars USA spokesperson Jennifer Farrington told ABC News on Monday.
Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House Monday evening, Trump said that he plans to appeal the judge’s ruling.
“Yeah, they’ll appeal it. They’ll appeal it. Sure they’ll appeal it,” Trump said.
The president “disagreed” with the ruling and slammed the judge for being appointed by Obama.
“We disagree with that ruling. It’s crazy because you look at this never happened to any other president. They’re trying to get a redo. Trying to get what we used to call in school a do-over and if you look, you know, we had no collusion, we had no obstruction. We had no nothing,” Trump said.
Pete Hegseth faces Congress over Pentagon’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion budget as Democrats vow to block it
Lightning Strikes Feet from Protesters Opposing Erika Kirk Speech: Report
Tulsi Gabbard Launches Investigation on 120 US-Funded Biolabs – Dozens Located in Ukraine
Fragile relationship with House GOP has Senate Republicans warning ‘something needs to change’
Michigan Democrats propose package seeking to legalize assisted suicide
Minnesota Senate votes to ban ICE from wearing masks, allow residents to sue for constitutional violations
Survey work begins at proposed site of Trump’s Triumphal Arch in DC
Liberal arts college drops prof’s name from campus hall after grave dig controversy
Suspected roadway gunman with reported criminal history sparks outrage after drivers shot
Stacey Abrams hit with subpoena in alleged campaign finance violations saga: ‘No one is above the law’
California mayor accused of secretly working for China, spreading propaganda while in office: feds
‘I’m not some hooker’: GOP senators release Hunter Biden texts buried by DOJ
Members of Congress using online prediction markets? Don’t bet on it
Texas man accused in pregnant wife’s murder fights to remain in Italy, citing ‘lifestyle and culture’
Breaking: UAE Has Been Secretly Striking Iran, Fighting Alongside US and Israel
“The Democrats were very upset with the Mueller report as perhaps they should be, but, I mean the country is very happy about it because there was never anything like that. They’re trying to get a do-over or redo. You can’t do that as far as the financials are concerned it’s totally the wrong decision by obviously an Obama appointed he was a recent Obama appointed judge,” Trump added.
The House Oversight Committee was not immediately available for comment. The Trump Organization and lawyers for President Trump – both plaintiffs in the case – did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Story cited here.
