Deutsche Bank and other financial institutions subpoenaed in Democrat-led hunt for Trump's records

Lawmakers subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and other financial institutions on Monday as they chase down President Trump’s finances and personal information. The Democrat-led House Intelligence and Financial Services committees that the sent subpoenas are examining Trump’s relationship with Deutsche Bank, which has lent Trump more than $2 billion over the years. Investigators seek documents on business the business the banks conducted with a series of suspected Russian and other Eastern European money launderers, sources told the New York Times.

A spokesperson for the Deutsche Bank, Kerrie McHugh, acknowledged the bank was “engaged in productive dialogue” with the congressional panels. “We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations in a manner consistent with our legal obligations,” McHugh said. Among the other lenders to receive subpoenas were Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the New York Times, nor did the Trump Organization.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/deutsche-bank-and-other-financial-institutions-subpoenaed-in-democrat-led-hunt-for-trumps-records

Deutsche Bank Is Subpoenaed for Trump Records by House Democrats

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/business/deutsche-bank-trump-finances-congress.html

Fox News anchors cut off guests speculating about cause of Notre Dame fire

Two Fox News anchors cut off guests who tried to talk about unfounded suspicions about the origins of the Notre Dame fire on Monday. Media critic and deputy mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine Philippe Karsenty's line was cut after he insinuated the fire was a terrorist attack, while Catholic League president Bill Donohue was shut down after he said he was suspicious the fire was related to other church burnings.

“It’s like a 9/11, a French 9/11,” Karsenty said during an appearance with Fox News’ Shepard Smith. “It’s a big shock. This church was there for more than 850 years. You need to know that for the past years, we’ve had churches desecrated each and every week all over France. Of course, you will hear the story of the politically — the political correctness, which will tell you it’s probably an accident.”

Although Smith said he would “love to hear” definitive information on the origins of the fire, Karsenty stuck to conjecture. “No, sir, we’re not doing that here, not now, not on my watch,” Smith said. “The man on the phone with us has absolutely no information of any kind about the origin of this fire and neither do I.” “The fire investigators will at some point come to a determination about what caused this and conspiracy theories about anything are worthless and in many cases counterproductive and injurious to society,” Smith said. “And those who entertain them are not acting in the best interests of the people of this planet.”

Karsenty was previously convicted of defamation after he blamed France 2, a French television network, for orchestrating the death of a Palestinian child.

In the next hour, Donahue’s interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto was cut short after he openly speculated how the fire originated, citing other churches and tabernacles that have been targeted and destroyed recently. “Well, Neil, if it is an accident, it’s a monumental tragedy,” Donohue said during an interview with Cavuto. “But forgive me for being suspicious.” “Just last month, a 17th century church was set on fire in Paris,” he said. “We have seen tabernacles knocked down, crosses have been torn down, statues have been smashed.” Even after Cavuto reminded Donahue to refrain from sharing any inklings on the fire, Donahue didn’t stop sharing his opinions. “I’m sorry, when I find out that the Eucharist is being destroyed and excrement is being smeared on crosses, this is what’s going on now,” Donahue said.

Cavuto then ended the call citing “conjectures” on the fire were not welcome. “I do want to let people know, and again we’re not trying to be rude to our guests here, there is so much we do not know about what happened here,” Cavuto said. “We do know four hours ago, something started here. There are incidents that have been raised against the Catholic Church on popular tourist sites in and around Paris, no stranger to attacks, but another leap to take views like that when we don’t know."

Officials are still unsure what prompted the fire at approximately 7 p.m. on Monday, although authorities say a preliminary investigation suggests it was accidental. The cathedral’s 300-foot spire crumbled in the fire, but officials say the cathedral's iconic twin bell towers will survive. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 and wrapped up in 1345. The cathedral endured some destruction from the French Revolution during the 1790s, but was repaired starting in 1845.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fox-news-anchors-cut-off-guests-speculating-about-cause-of-notre-dame-fire

Trump bill benefits ‘most US taxpayers,’ CNN host says

President Trump’s signature tax, which critics have blasted as a giveaway to the rich, has helped a majority of American taxpayers, according to a CNN anchor. Christine Romans, a CNN correspondent and co-host of “Early Start” on Monday morning cited a Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation report saying the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, has cut taxes for 65% of Americans this year. “Winning, well most U.S. taxpayers,” Romans said.

The Joint Committee report comes after many media commentators said the tax law was skewed toward the wealthy. Greg Sargent, an opinion writer for the Washington Post, called the bill a “giveaway to the rich” just days before it became law. Frank Clemente, the executive director for Americans for Tax Fairness, called the plan a “desperate” and “skewed-to-the-rich.” Newsweek reported last fall that an internal Republican poll found that a majority of voters believed the tax cuts Trump voted for were in favor of wealthy Americans and not for the middle class. The internal report admitted that Republicans had “lost the messaging battle on the issue.” Trump has touted his tax cuts as part of the reason for continued economic growth in the economy. “The recovery got started on Election Day 2016. It took Trump’s Tax Cuts and Regulation Cuts to get the economy booming. Before that it was the worst and slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. It took just 6 months for Trump to get to 3%,” said Trump in a tweet last fall.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-bill-benefits-most-us-taxpayers-cnn-host-says