The Second Circuit Court of Appeals invited the Justice Department to offer its opinion on an attempt by President Trump to block a House investigation of his finances, according to a Wednesday court filing.
In a letter to Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the court asks “whether the United States would like to submit its views” on the issue.
The court is examining an appeal from President Trump, who is trying to block a series of subpoenas issued by the House Financial Service and Intelligence Committees to two of his longtime lenders, Deutsche Bank and Capitol One.
Trump hired personal attorneys to file the lawsuit, as well as for another, similar case in D.C. in which he is trying to block a Congressional subpoena to his longtime accounting firm.
At oral arguments in the appeal of the D.C. case last week, Trump personal attorney William Consovoy was repeatedly asked why the Justice Department did not have representation at the hearing. The court then asked the DOJ if it had an opinion to offer on the matter.
In the Deutsche Bank case, the DOJ has until Aug. 19 to submit a brief. The court also asked that lawyers for the two lenders attend the next hearing.
There may be additional reasons (good or bad), but I think one reason the Courts are doing this is to prevent this from becoming a 2 lawsuit affair, with Trump filing one personally and then DOJ swooping in to file one afterwards if he loses. Trump and Barr would clearly prefer to do it that way for maximum judicial inefficiency.
This oughta be interesting… please proceed, DOJ, your arguments have been amusing thus far.
Hoping someone can enlighten me on this turn of events. How does this bode for the forces of good winning over evil?
We at the Royal DOJ believe that Article II power supercedes all Article I powers since it came second and therefore the Founding Fathers considered it superior to all the first-cut-at-it Article I stuff.
When my brother and I ran the streets, saying, “We gon’ LITIGATE, homes!!” was usually a bluff play.
Isn’t it funny how some of the people I knew and the PRESIDENT have so much in common?