Another judge rules against Trump in subpoena battle; this time fight is over bank records
President Donald Trump. Frederic Legrand - COMEO/Shutterstock.com.
President Donald Trump has lost a subpoena fight in federal court for the second time this week.
In the latest loss for Trump, a federal judge refused Wednesday to block a subpoena for his records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corp., report the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and Courthouse News Service.
A different federal judge refused Monday to block a subpoena for records from Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said Congress had broad powers to investigate, and the subpoenas had “facially legitimate investigative purposes,” according to coverage by Courthouse News Service.
Ramos announced his decision from the bench. In an order issued the same day, he denied Trump’s motion for a preliminary injunction and refused to stay the decision pending appeal.
The subpoenas were issued by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Financial Services Committee. In a memorandum of law supporting their motion for a preliminary injunction, Trump had argued that the subpoenas were overbroad and had no legitimate legislative purpose. Trump’s children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, also had sought the injunction.
“At best, the committees seek these documents so they can conduct law-enforcement activities that the Supreme Court has held are reserved to the other branches,” lawyers argued for the Trumps. “More likely, though, the committees want to collect and ‘expose’ the financial documents of the president—and his children and grandchildren—‘for the sake of exposure.’ ”
Both decisions are being appealed.
Ramos ruled the same day that the New York legislature passed a bill allowing Congress to obtain Trump’s state tax returns. Gov. Andrew Cuomo was expected to sign the measure.
