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US Judge Rules Congress Has Right to Subpoena Banks for Trump Records

© REUTERS / Toby Melville/FilesWorkers walk past the London headquarters of Deutsche Bank in the City of London, Britain in this May 19, 2015 file photo
Workers walk past the London headquarters of Deutsche Bank in the City of London, Britain in this May 19, 2015 file photo - Sputnik International
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A US federal judge declined Wednesday to preliminarily enjoin a congressional subpoena for US President Donald Trump's financial records, ruling that Deutsche Bank was free to comply with the demand.

US District Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled Wednesday that a preliminary injunction that would block Deutsche Bank from complying with a congressional subpoena for Trump's financial records was "inappropriate" and that the plaintiff's arguments were "not sufficiently serious."

The US Congress building. (File) - Sputnik International
Trump Directs McGahn to Defy Congressional Subpoena, Dems Urge Testimony

The subpoena that can now move forward covers Trump as well as three of his children, their immediate family members and several Trump Organization entities, and seeks financial records, as well as records of ties they might have to foreign entities, from both Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corporation.

Deutsche Bank, which said in a previous statement it was remaining neutral as to the question of the subpoena's legality, has long been a principal lender for Trump's real estate business. A 2017 disclosure form showed Trump had at least $130 million of liabilities with the bank. The New York Times reported that Deutsche Bank has lent Trump over $2 billion in the last two decades, using his business as a launch pad for entering the US market.

Capital One was subpoenaed for documents related to the Trump Organization's hotel business.

The ruling follows one on Monday by a Washington, DC, federal judge that Trump couldn't sue to stop a similar subpoena for his tax records from the Internal Revenue Service.

President Donald Trump making a point during a speech at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 100th Annual Convention in New Orleans on 14 January 2019 - Sputnik International
Trump Organization Insurance Broker Subpoenaed by New York Authorities - Reports

Several Democrat-controlled congressional committees have issued subpoenas for Trump's financial records, including the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.

In order to avoid a conflict of interest between his presidency and his business holdings, Trump was expected to follow the examples of past presidents and either divest from his investments or place them into a blind trust before occupying the White House. Trump did neither, instead placing his adult children in charge of his businesses and dismissing the need for his tax returns to go public. Now, he is accused of having violated the emoluments clause of the US Constitution, which bans the profiting off of public office.

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