In the latest of a long series of actions meant to highlight President Trump’s possible conflicts of interest, Rep. Maxine Waters called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s probe into Deutsche Bank, saying his allegiance to Trump makes it impossible for him to investigate the bank that has loaned hundreds of millions to the president.
The Californian, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, told Sessions in a letter sent Tuesday afternoon that he is “unwilling to stand up to the president on matters in which he has a vested interest.”
Sessions’ Justice Department is reportedly investigating a Russian money-laundering scheme for which the German bank has already been fined by U.S. regulators.
Waters wants the former Alabama senator out of that investigation, in addition to any probes into the bank’s loans to the Trump family.
Trump reportedly owed Deutsche Bank $300 million before taking office.
Waters, who has commanded attention for her outspoken criticisms of Trump, and House Democrats have sought to draw attention to Trump’s financial entanglements with foreign entities and to try to investigate them for evidence of possible Russian involvement with the Trump campaign.
They have leaned on the bank and on regulators for more information about Trump’s banking relationships.
This week, Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee filed a resolution of inquiry demanding the Treasury hand over documents it might have related to Trump’s financial ties to Russia.
Republicans would have to vote down the resolution in committee or see it go to the full House for a vote.
Republicans have had to fend off similar efforts at the committee level related to Trump’s tax returns.
Sessions in March recused himself from any involvement in investigations concerning possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
