8 hrs ago: "Why Trump's Stonewalling Legal Strategy Will Keep Failing"

If he’s trying to run out the clock on the subpoenas, the weakness of his strategy might actually be speeding things up
By RENATO MARIOTTI May 26, 2019
Renato Mariotti is the Legal Affairs Columnist for POLITICO Magazine. He is a former federal prosecutor and host of the “On Topic” podcast.

In the space of three days this week, two federal judges ruled decisively in favor of Congress’ right to subpoena President Donald Trump’s personal financial and business records... More importantly, it suggests that Trump’s strategy of categorically fighting all congressional subpoenas will undermine his ability to stonewall Congress in subsequent cases.

On Monday, federal Judge Amit Mehta issued a sweeping decision rejecting Trump’s personal challenge to a House Oversight Committee subpoena of his financial records from an accounting firm... The main argument Trump advanced was that there was no legislative purpose for the subpoena.

Trump’s argument went further, claiming that Congress is engaging in “law enforcement” and that corrupt behavior by the president is not a “proper subject of investigation.” Mehta cited Watergate as an obvious rebuttal.

Trump’s argument is doomed to fail in the courts because the Constitution gives the House the “full power of impeachment” and it could not exercise that authority without investigating presidential wrongdoing.

Wednesday’s ruling by Judge Edgardo Ramos made equally quick work of Trump’s argument that subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One for his records lacked a “legitimate legislative purpose.” He found that argument “unpersuasive,” finding that it was “not the role of the judicial branch to question [Congress’] motives.” He denied every one of Trump’s requests.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/05/26/trump-tax-returns-subpoena-226987