A number of major Wall Street banks have handed over thousands of documents to congressional committees pertaining to Russian figures who may have had links to President Donald Trump, his family, or the the Trump Organization, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The firms, including Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, passed along the documents subpoenaed by investigators with both the House Finance Committee and House Intelligence Committee. The banks are complying with subpoenas sent to them in April.
The specific details of the documents remain scarce, as do the identities of the Russian figures or entities specifically mentioned in the material.
Deutsche Bank is also now reportedly complying with subpoenas sent by office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed a civil subpoena earlier this year demanding emails, loan agreements, and other documents.
The German bank is at the heart of ongoing questions pertaining to Trump Organization financing: It had issued loans to the Trump Organization when all other financial institutions refused. Deutsche Bank was recently outed as a key player in a massive, $20-billion Russian money laundering scheme, and questions remain about where it got the capital to help finance Trump’s previous projects.
Wrote the WSJ:
The New York attorney general’s subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Investors Bancorp are part of a civil investigation, which could yield fines or other civil actions if the office alleges illegality. The Deutsche Bank documents relate to three mortgages the bank extended to Mr. Trump’s business, as well as proposed financing that didn’t go through, people familiar with the New York investigation said. CNN reported earlier this year that Deutsche Bank had begun providing financial records to the New York attorney general.
James’ office also received numerous documents and emails from Investors Bancorp, a New Jersey-based bank involved in a 2010 mortgage on the president’s Trump Park Avenue building in Manhattan.
Trump and his allies have attempted to fight the document requests for months, both publicly and through the courts. He has specifically targeted James’ efforts, noting on Twitter that her office “sue[s] on everything, always in search of a crime.” James responded on Twitter that her office “will follow the facts of any case, wherever they lead.”
As the elected AG of NY, I have a sworn duty to protect & uphold state law. My office will follow the facts of any case, wherever they lead.
Make no mistake: No one is above the law, not even the President.
P.S. My name is Letitia James. (You can call me Tish.) https://t.co/GXkZ2QVWqE
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 1, 2019
James’s office has earned political attention over the past year for its efforts to unearth financial information from the secretive Trump Organization, as well as for its examination of the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) tax-exempt status.