Federal judge upholds congressional subpoena for Trump financial records

As expected, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta on Monday upheld a congressional subpoena seeking President Donald Trump’s financial records from an accounting firm, arguing that Congress is well within its rights to investigate potential illegal behavior by a president — even without launching a formal impeachment inquiry. Politico reports, Judge upholds Dem subpoena for Trump financial … Read more

Deutsche Bank whistleblowers flag ‘suspicious activity’ by Trump and Kushner organizations

Anti-money laundering specialists at Deutsche Bank recommended in 2016 and 2017 that multiple transactions involving legal entities controlled by Donald J. Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, be reported — a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) — to the federal financial-crimes watchdog, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The New York Times reports, Deutsche Bank Staff … Read more

The Trump crime family sues to block subpoenas for bank records

Last week CNN reported that Deutsche Bank begins process of providing Trump financial records to New York’s attorney general: Deutsche Bank has begun the process of providing financial records to New York state’s attorney general in response to a subpoena for documents related to loans made to President Donald Trump and his business, according to … Read more

Some key takeaways from Michael Cohen’s testimony

Some key takeaways from Michael Cohen’s testimony: 1. Michael Cohen brought receipts to corroborate the charges to which he pleaded guilty, i.e., that “Individual-1” — Donald Trump — “coordinated with and directed him” to commit a felony by making hush-money (bribery) payments to Trump’s illicit sexual paramours to “catch and kill” their stories in the … Read more

The Trump crime family cashes in before the Special Counsel closes in

Most of you are already familiar with the three emoluments clause cases filed against Donald Trump for profiting off of foreign governments at his properties as president.

The first case filed by the ethics group CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) was dismissed for lack of standing, but that case is currently on appeal.

In the second case brought by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia (No. 8:17-cv-01596), U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte of the District of Maryland ruled that D.C., Maryland can proceed with lawsuit alleging Trump violated emoluments clauses. Judge Messitte rejected an argument made by critics of the lawsuit — that, under the Constitution, only Congress may decide whether the president has violated the emoluments clauses. But Messitte’s ruling also narrowed the lawsuit’s scope to the Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C., saying that the District and Maryland had standing to sue because they could plausibly claim to have been injured by Trump’s receipt of payments from foreign and state governments.

The third case was filed by more than 200 Democratic members of Congress, Blumental et. al v. Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (No. 1:17-cv-01154), and is presently scheduled for a hearing on a motion to dismiss on June 7, 2018.

The Trump Hotel is only the tip of the iceberg according to reporting over the past week.

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