Monday on CNN, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) said the reason House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) had subpoenaed for 10 years’ worth of President Donald Trump’s financial records was because his former lawyer Michael Cohen gave the committee “several years of financials that really raised questions.”
When asked about Trump suing to block the subpoena, Lynch said, “Well, I’m not surprised. This is the way the Trump companies and the president has worked in his private life by suing people to stop them, you know, from investigating, in this case, the president’s prior conduct. But I think we’re on solid ground in terms of Chairman Cummings and members of the committee seeking these documents. During the Cohen hearing, we were given several years of financials that really raised questions about the president’s files since he has become president, and so we think that it requires further investigation.”
He added, “There are several things that we’re looking at. I mean, the president uniquely has refused to put into trust many of his assets, so he’s got the hotel, the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C. he’s got other properties where we think there may be conflicts of interest there. We also think that some of the statements by Mr.Cohen about President Trump’s past attempts in business, the deal to possibly purchase the Buffalo Bills before he was president. And then up to today, you know, to his current filings, we think there are inconsistencies in those filings. So, you know, Congress our ability to investigate pursuant to our legislative powers is beyond question. So we think that there is a reasonable and legitimate legislative purpose to ask for these documents, and we think the court will eventually agree.”
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