Embattled Deutsche Bank stopped short of telling a federal appeals court Tuesday that it possesses copies of President Trump’s tax returns – but it did indicate that it has documents responsive to a key subpoena request from House Democrats.
The longtime Trump lender told the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that “extensive searches” within the bank showed that it has the returns for at least one individual whose identity was redacted from the letter, as well as the same documents for people “who may constitute ‘immediate family.'”
The letter comes after a court hearing on Friday in which judges on the appeals court demanded to know whether Deutsche Bank or another Trump bank involved in the lawsuit – Capital One – had copies of the President’s tax returns. The banks refused to tell the court at the hearing, prompting the judges to issue an order.
Trump hired personal attorneys to sue Deutsche and Capital One in a bid to prevent them from complying with congressional subpoenas for his financial records.
A redacted copy of the subpoena filed in the appeals court docket shows that President Trump was targeted by the demand, along with his children Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, at least seven of his business entities, and members of his “immediate family.” Two other targets on the subpoena are redacted.
Deutsche’s letter, while redacted, says that the bank “does not believe” it has returns for anyone apart from “those identified above” in the redacted portion.
House Financial Services Committee chair Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One in April.
In a separate Tuesday letter to the court, Capital One said that it does not possess copies of the tax returns.
Deutsche Bank told the court that “public confirmation” of whose returns it possessed would “‘reveal specific details of the manner in which’ customers” went about their personal banking activities.
Trump appealed a lower court ruling that upheld the subpoena in May, after a district judge told personal attorneys for the President that their case was not “serious.”
Read the filing here:
