WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is set to hold a hearing Tuesday on President Donald Trump’s attempt to block a House subpoena seeking his financial records.
Trump and his business organization sued the Democratic chairman of the House oversight committee to block the subpoena. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, said the subpoena from Rep. Elijah Cummings “has no legitimate legislative purpose” and accuses Democrats of harassing Trump and wielding their new majority in Congress to try to stain the president’s standing.
Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, issued the subpoena in April to Mazars USA, an accountant for the president and Trump Organization. The question for the judge overseeing the case, Amit Mehta, is whether the House’s subpoena is a valid exercise of legislative power. Mehta was nominated to his position by President Barack Obama.
In asking the judge to block the subpoena, Trump in essence asked the judicial branch to stop the legislative branch from investigating his past. Decades of precedent has established that the legislature’s investigative power is not limited to just researching possible legislation.
The lawsuit comes amid a widespread effort by the White House and the president’s attorneys to refuse to cooperate with congressional requests for information and records.
