President Donald Trump’s banks wouldn’t say Friday whether they had copies of Trump’s tax returns on hand, prompting a three-judge appeals court panel to order a sealed written response on the matter, CNN and other outlets reported.
The panel of 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals judges repeatedly asked lawyers for Deutsche Bank and Capital One whether they had Trump’s tax returns on file, reporting from the courtroom indicated.
“We need to know,” Judge Jon Newman said at one point, per the New York Daily News.
“That unfortunately is not a question we’re able to address,” Deutsche Bank lawyer Raphael Prober responded. Per Reuters, Prober cited “contractual obligations.” Capital One lawyer James Murphy also declined to answer.
The hearing came in the course of Trump’s effort to prevent the banks from handing over documents on him, his adult children and his businesses to the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees, which issued subpoenas for the records in April. A district court rejected Trump’s motion to stop the Democratic lawmakers’ efforts in May.
After the banks’ lawyers wouldn’t say on Friday whether they had access to Trump’s returns, the judges ordered a response in writing, under seal, within 48 hours. But, CNN noted, it remains unclear whether the banks will answer the question then, either.
