Trump’s financial records to be turned over to House panel: Federal Judge

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered former US president Donald Trump‘s accounting firm to hand over some of his financial records to a US House of Representatives. However, not all of his documents shall be turned over to the congressional panel. The committee will also be able to access some financial documents from 2017 and 2018, the judge said.

This ruling, made by US District Judge Amit Mehta, came in a long-running lawsuit that was brought by the Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee.

The HOC had first issued a subpoena for Trump’s financial records in 2019.

The lawsuit arrived in Mehta’s courtroom after a trip to the US Supreme Court.

The high court, in a July 2020 decision, said House Democrats needed to explain their need for the records. Following that Mehta should weigh in the needs against the burdens placed on Trump by complying with the subpoena, reported Reuters.

Reportedly, the decision is likely to be appealed by Trump’s lawyers and it could be challenged by the House panel.

The subpoena of Mazars, Trump‘s accounting firms, should be treated like any other subpoena it issues, the judge ruled.

“The Committee has presented ‘detailed and substantial’ evidence that President Trump, at least through his business interests, likely received foreign payments during the term of his presidency,” Mehta wrote regarding the Emoluments Clause.

The Emoluments Clause restricts the acceptance of gifts from foreign nations without congressional approval.

The judge also said that the Trump firm gave more than $400,000 in payments to the Treasury Department during Trump’s presidency.

This validates “the Committee’s belief that President Trump’s business received some foreign payments during his presidency,” the judge said.

“The Committee therefore is not engaged in a baseless fishing expedition,” judge Mehta said.

Mehta said that the explanations given by the panel for the other records “does not warrant disclosure of President Trump’s personal and corporate financial records when balanced against the separation of powers concerns raised by the broad scope of its subpoena.”