Adam Schiff Questions Depth of Mueller's Probe into Trump and Deutsche Bank

Adam Schiff (D-CA) doesn’t think Robert Mueller is being allowed to investigate Trump properly, so he’s taking matters into his own hands.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, the House Intelligence Chief raised questions about reports that the special counsel has been prevented from subpoenaing Deutsche Bank, asking how his team could conduct a money laundering investigation without doing so.

Schiff appeared on the program to discuss the investigation he and House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) launched last week into attempts to influence the 2016 election and financial activities related to Trump’s businesses — which the pair claim are based on “credible reports” of money laundering and financial compromise.

Last year, Schiff told Chuck Todd of “Meet the Press” that evidence of such wrongdoing could exist in Deutsche Bank records. His suspicion, he said, was based on Deutsche Bank’s history of laundering Russian money, and that it was the “only bank” willing to do business with the Trump Organization.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Deutsche Bank had denied a loan to Trump during the 2016 election, citing concerns that if he were to win, the bank would have to choose between not collecting the debt and seizing the assets of the American president.

Deutsche Bank is also facing broadening U.S. scrutiny of the company’s steps to combat money-laundering amid reports that its U.S. unit may have been a key conduit for dirty cash.

http://fortune.com/2019/02/11/schiff-trump-deutsche-bank/

Schiff: The need to probe Trump’s finances is getting more urgent

Congressional Republicans are angry with President Trump for blowing off their demands for a report on Saudi Arabia’s role in the murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Politico reports. They say they are going to act — no, really, they mean it this time — to compel the president to supply that report, in accordance with a law requiring him to deliver such an assessment to Congress, now that they’ve solicited it from the administration.

Which raises an interesting question: Just how far are Republicans willing to go in holding Trump accountable for his ongoing protection of the Saudis, anyway? What will they say when House Democrats begin digging into Trump’s finances, to try to determine whether financial motives help explain it?

In an interview, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said that Trump’s refusal to issue a report on the murder of Khashoggi underscores the need to push forward with congressional scrutiny of Trump’s ties to the Saudi regime.

“We have already planned to do a deep dive on Saudi Arabia, and this further underscores the importance of doing so,” Schiff told me.

U.S. intelligence agencies have reportedly concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s killing. But Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on whether the crown prince was responsible.

In the face of that disconnect, Schiff had previously told this blog that he intends for the Intelligence Committee to do a “deep dive” on the Khashoggi murder, on the president’s response to it, and on the larger questions raised by both. This would entail nailing down what the intelligence community has concluded about the murder, and how firm the basis for that conclusion is.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/12/schiff-need-probe-trumps-finances-is-getting-more-urgent/?utm_term=.e348ff982ec7