DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/LAWSUIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP BUSINESS: “President Trump and his businesses, seeking to brush back congressional investigators, sued the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday [4-22-19] to try to quash a congressional subpoena for their financial records. The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court here, argued that the committee’s chairman, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, had no legitimate legislative reason to subpoena an accounting company tied to the president, so his subpoena should be deemed invalid and unenforceable…The lawyers are also seeking a court order blocking the accounting company, Mazars USA, from handing over the information, which it says would ‘expose plaintiffs’ confidential information.’ The suit, which is almost certain to face a stiff challenge in court, is a familiar move for Mr. Trump, honed over a long and litigious business career. It mirrors other efforts in recent weeks by personal lawyers for the president and his businesses to block the Democratic-controlled House from gaining access to Mr. Trump’s finances. In each case, the lawyers have used vivid terms to paint Democrats as politically craven, out to abuse the powers of their office only to embarrass Mr. Trump politically.”
–Nicholas Fandos and Annie Karni, “Trump and His Businesses Sue House Democrats to Hide Accounting Records,” The New York Times online, April 22, 2019