STAGE TWO

Trump Appeals Decision That Gives His Personal Financial Records to Congress

Federal Judge Amit Mehta ruled Monday that the president’s accounting firm must hand over his personal financial records to Congress.

President Trump on Tuesday morning filed an appeal of a federal judge’s ruling a day earlier that his accounting firm must hand over his financial records to Congress. In a 41-page ruling on Monday, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the firm, Mazars USA, to comply with a subpoena from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. “It is simply not fathomable,” the judge wrote, “that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a president for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct—past or present—even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry.” Trump lawyer William Consovoy has argued the committee has no legitimate legislative reason to ask for the records. Mehta, however, ruled that the committee had established “facially valid legislative purposes” for seeking the documents.