Donald Trump, not President Trump, representing his affiliated private business interests, has filed for a temporary restraining order (full pdf below) against House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings and his committee representatives and officers.

You might remember when Speaker Nancy Pelosi changed the House Rules earlier this year. Part of the rule changes were to modify the responsibilities of the House Government Affairs Oversight Committee. Speaker Pelosi removed all other oversight responsibility and shifted the committee to a singular oversight role focused only on the White House.

Chairman Cummings is demanding the personal financial records of Donald Trump and all of his business interests around the Trump organization. The demand includes all personal and private financial records including tax filings from individuals, officers and corporate entities within the Trump organization. As a private, non-public corporation, this demand for financial records would encompass the entire Trump family.

In essence, Chairman Cummings is weaponizing his government office to target Donald Trump and all members of the Trump family. This is not dissimilar to what President Obama and Elijah Cummings did when they weaponized the IRS to target their political opponents. See: national heroine/patriot Catherine Engelbrecht.

When the IRS scheme was made public in 2011, the Obama plan shifted to use the intelligence operations of the U.S. Government to target their political opposition through the use of electronic surveillance and spy operations. Hence, this is one consistent continuum. Chairman Cummings in 2019 is just a new iteration of the program.

Trump, not President Trump, has filed for a preliminary injunction to stop Chairman Cummings demand. In the interim, while awaiting court arguments, Donald Trump and his business interests have filed for a restraining order.

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