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President Trump and the Trump Organization has filed a lawsuit against House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings in an effort to stop the committee from getting their hands of his financials, CBS reports.
On Monday, Trump filed the lawsuit in D.C. District Court, arguing that Congress doesn’t have to right to authorize subpoenas into his financial affairs. Cummings gave the go-ahead for subpoenas to be issued to Trump’s accountant Mazars USA LLP, and some of his business entities
“Chairman Cummings has ignored the constitutional limits on Congress’ power to investigate,” the complaint filed by Mr. Trump reads.
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“Article I of the Constitution does not contain an ‘Investigations Clause’ or an ‘Oversight Clause.’ It gives Congress the power to enact certain legislation. Accordingly, investigations are legitimate only insofar as they further some legitimate legislative purpose,” the complaint reads.
“We welcome the opportunity to represent President Trump and the other plaintiffs in this matter,” a joint statement reads. “The committee’s attempt to obtain years’ worth of confidential information from their accountants lacks any legitimate legislative purposes, is an abuse of power and is just another example of overreach by the president’s political opponents. We look forward to vindicating our clients’ rights in this matter.”
Stefan Passantino is Trump’s attorney and represents the Trump entities. Other plaintiffs include The Trump Organization, the Trump Corporation, the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, and the Trump Old Post Office LLC.
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“We will not allow congressional presidential harassment to go unanswered,” said Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s attorneys.
Cummings is unbothered by Trump’s attacks and plans to forge ahead.
“The president has a long history of trying to use baseless lawsuits to attack his adversaries, but there is simply no valid legal basis to interfere with this duly authorized subpoena from Congress,” Cummings said.
“This complaint reads more like political talking points than a reasoned legal brief, and it contains a litany of inaccurate information. The White House is engaged in unprecedented stonewalling on all fronts, and they have refused to produce a single document or witness to the Oversight Committee during this entire year.”