House panel, Trump lawyers agree on appeals schedule in financial records case: statement
CGTN
["china"]
The U.S. House Oversight Committee has reached an agreement with President Donald Trump's attorneys to seek an expedited appeal in a court case in which lawmakers are asking the U.S. leader's financial records from his accounting firm, the panel said in a statement on Wednesday.
A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that the Mazars accounting firm must turn over the documents to the House Oversight and Reform Committee, but the president had appealed the decision.
The panel said in a statement that under the schedule, written arguments could be submitted as early June 12, with briefings completed by July. The court has yet to approve the accelerated schedule.
Also on Wednesday, Trump, three of his children and the Trump Organization lost their bid to block Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp from providing financial records to Democratic lawmakers investigating Trump's businesses.
In a decision read from the bench after hearing arguments, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos in New York said Congress has the legal authority to demand the records, clearing the way for the banks to comply with subpoenas issued to them by two U.S. House of Representatives committees last month.
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos (L) is shown in this courtroom sketch as General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Douglas Letter speaks during a hearing in Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, U.S., May 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos (L) is shown in this courtroom sketch as General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Douglas Letter speaks during a hearing in Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, U.S., May 22, 2019. /Reuters Photo

Ramos said he would not suspend his decision pending appeal.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Deutsche Bank said it would abide by the court's decision. Capital One did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, who is seeking re-election next year, has aggressively sought to defy congressional oversight of his administration since Democrats took control of the House in January.
Ramos said that the committees had the power to issue the subpoenas under Congress' "broad" power to conduct investigations to further legislation. 
He also rejected Trump's argument that they were barred by the federal financial privacy law, the Right to Financial Privacy Act, saying the law does not apply to congressional investigations.
Trump said last month that the administration was "fighting all the subpoenas" issued by the House, hardening his position after the release of a redacted report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller on how Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to help Trump and on the president's attempts to impede the investigation.
Source(s): Reuters