For Robert Mueller’s next chess move, he’s following the money. The special counsel has issued a subpoena to Deutsche Bank to take a look at the Trump Organization’s financial records. It’s not his first attempt to do so — Deutsche Bank has turned down other requests for that data by the Justice Department. After all, they have a reputation for maintaining client privacy to uphold. However, as the investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia has intensified, so has the pressure Mueller is willing to exert.
The fact that Mueller wants records specifically from Deutsche Bank is itself a hint at the counselor’s investigative angle. The Trump family conducts its financial transactions through numerous channels, of course, but it’s Deutsche Bank in particular that has continued to lend millions to the Trump Organization for real estate deals. The Trump International Hotel in Chicago, for example, was financed with Deutsche Bank dollars. So was the Doral golf resort in Miami and Trump’s crown jewel — the Trump International Hotel in Washington.
This time last year, ethics experts listed Trump’s ties to Deutsche Bank as one of the many conflicts of interest that would need to be addressed as Trump transitioned from real estate mogul to President. The concern was that, under Trump, the Department of Justice might be less inclined to investigate Deutsche Bank in the future, should need arise. But that doesn’t seem to be concerning Mueller as he methodically works his way through Trump’s professional associations and paper trail to determine whether members of his campaign colluded with Russia. The question now is whether Deutsche Bank will cooperate and what Mueller might discover.
(Via Reuters)