OBSTRUCTION: Trump financial records BLOCKED by House GOP
Donald Trump’s former accounting firm, Mazars USA, has confirmed it will no longer turn over the Trump Organization financial documents — originally subpoenaed when Democrats controlled the House of Representatives — because members of the new Republican majority have canceled the request.
For years Congress has waged a battle against Donald Trump to obtain his financial records.
The Trump administration successfully stalled the attempt while he was still in office, but after the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has a right to see the documents, the House GOP has other plans.
According to The New York Times, the House majority “quietly halted” Congress’ investigation into the former President’s financial manipulations for personal gain.
“Representative James R. Comer, Republican of Kentucky and the chairman of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, mad clear he had abandoned any investigation into the former president’s financial dealings,” the newspaper wrote.
Congressman Comer claims to have no idea who, or what, Mazars is despite being the ranking Republican member of the committee when the accounting firm was directed to turn over Trump’s financial records in the House’s previous legislative session.
“What exactly are they looking for?” Rep. Comer said in a statement. “They’ve been ‘investigating’ Trump for six years.”
The conservative lawmaker added that his focus is on President Joe Biden and his family — meaning his son Hunter.
The ranking minority leader on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) pushed back on his colleague’s decision in a letter addressed to the House Oversight and Accountability chair.
“It has come to my attention that you may have acted in league with attorneys for former President Donald Trump to block the committee from receiving documents subpoenaed in its investigation of unauthorized, unreported and unlawful payments by foreign governments and others to then-President Trump.”
It’s an allegation that Comer denies.
Republicans have made no secret of their intention to waste legislative time — and taxpayers’ money — with frivolous investigations and hearings into nonexistent issues, and the latest actions by the GOP majority have confirmed the lack of seriousness in rooting out corruption in the branches and agencies of the federal government.
Communications between Trump’s legal counsel, Patrick Strawbridge, and an attorney for Mazars confirmed that the firm would be released from obligations of the settlement agreement previously reached.
According to Mazars, they would stop the delivery of documents deemed relevant to the subpoena.
Democratic aides on the committee made repeated attempts to get written confirmation from the firm confirming its release by House Republicans, but Mazars claims they have none and assert that there’s no record of a filing with the presiding court.
Documents already turned over exposed foreign attempts to influence the Trump administration, such as spending money at the ex-president’s branded hotels at upwards of $10,000 a night.
Rep. Raskin has stated that there is ample proof of foreign government’s interference, Comer instead is moving full steam ahead into an investigation into President Biden’s alleged crooked dealings with the country’s most formidable frenemy – China.
In 2022, Mazars distanced themselves from Donald Trump, alleging they couldn’t verify the ten years of their former client’s financial records as accurate, or reliable.
Original reporting by Luke Broadwater and Jonathan Swan at The New York Times.
Follow Ty Ross on Twitter @cooltxchick
