WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, says Republican Chairman Rep. James Comer has abandoned efforts to obtain financial documents from former President Donald Trump, quietly digging into the finances of the current president’s son.
In a letter released to Comer on Monday, Raskin, D-MD, said it had come to his attention that Kentucky Republicans coordinated with Trump’s lawyers to block the committee from obtaining documents from Mazar USA, the president. Before accounting unaltered.
Raskin argued that Comer’s alleged decision to block the execution of the production of the documents was hypocritical because he had also issued a subpoena related to the investigation of Hunter, the son of President Joe Biden.
“It appears that you are subpoenaing private individuals to prevent the production of evidence of misconduct by former President Trump during his time in office as part of an investigation targeting the business dealings of members of the president’s family.” Engaged in these efforts as well as issuing aggressive and widespread subpoenas. Biden who has never held public office,” Raskin said.
Comer’s office denied working with Trump’s lawyers.
Raskin cited documents that the committee obtained from Mazdoor under the Democratic majority revealed last fall that authoritarian governments such as China and Saudi Arabia spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on properties owned by Trump while he was president.
Raskin said, “In light of mounting evidence that foreign governments sought to influence the Trump administration by playing to President Trump’s financial interests, you and President Trump’s representatives work in coordination to bury evidence of such misconduct.” Have done.”
Raskin said he learned that Trump attorney Patrick Strawbridge wrote Mazars in January that it was his understanding that the committee, now under Republican control, had no interest in completing the production of the documents under the original subpoena. “When Mazars’ counsel sought clarification, Mr. Strawbridge confirmed that this instruction was provided to him, twice, by the Acting General Counsel of the House of Representatives, in his capacity as committee counsel,” Raskin said.
He said the committee could not coordinate with Trump’s lawyers “to obstruct a lawful subpoena investigating his demonstrated corruption” but then issue an “aggressive and sweeping subpoena” to Hunter Biden.
In response, a GOP spokesman for the Oversight Committee said that Raskin’s allegation that Comer is trying to bury Trump’s financial misconduct is “completely baseless and untrue.”
“There has been no coordination or discussion with anyone other than the majority of the committee regarding the Mazars documents,” the spokesperson said. “So what’s the point of the letter? To try to get ahead of the information the Oversight Committee is getting in its investigation of Biden family influence peddling.”
Since taking over the panel, Comer launched an investigation into the business practices of Hunter Biden and other Biden family members.
Comer’s aide said that “there are a number of remarkable developments that have strengthened the Committee’s understanding of several areas of concern and opened new avenues of investigation regarding the Biden family’s business plans.”
