Mueller Pursues Trump's Relationship with Deutsche Bank

First, a brief history of Donald Trump and Deutsche Bank: After a series of bankruptcies and other bad financial decisions made the Trump Organization toxic to lenders, Deutsche Bank, who inexplicably continued to do business with Trump, became his biggest financer.

In February, a report in the Guardian, about Deutsche Bank doing an "internal investigation" for any potential ties between Trump's accounts in Russia, noted that Trump owed Deutsche Bank around $300 million in loan repayments.

He has a long history and a lot of debt with Deutsche Bank, who themselves have a history of shady dealings in the U.S., which has prompted a number of federal investigations. In January, they were fined $630 million by the U.S. Department of Justice for helping Russian oligarchs launder their money.

Trump isn't the only member of his administration with deep ties to Deutsche Bank. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also has a complex and troubling relationship to the bank. And Jared Kushner's real estate company had finalized a $285 million loan with Deutsche Bank right before the election, which he subsequently failed to disclose. Caroline O. has even more in a Twitter thread beginning here.

In May, House Democrats asked Deutsche Bank "to hand over its findings on two politically charged matters — its banking on behalf of [Donald] Trump and trades from the bank's Moscow operation that helped move some $10 billion out of Russia." They refused, citing client confidentiality.

But now Special Counsel Robert Mueller has issued a subpoena requesting "information on certain money and credit transactions" regarding "accounts held by [Trump] and his family."

And, at this point, Deutsche Bank may be more inclined to comply: "Handing over the records now could actually help Deutsche Bank emerge from the shadows cast by its problematic clients. While banks are normally proud to cater to heads of state...the Trumps have proven to be more of a liability than an asset. As one manager told Handelsblatt this summer, Deutsche Bank's ties to Trump pose an 'enormous reputational risk.' Executives in Frankfurt have been bracing for difficult times ahead in Washington, with the bank being 'led round the political arena by the nose.'"

So, the basic gist of today's news is that Mueller continues to investigate and Deutsche Bank may comply, or may not!

And another general reminder that Donald Trump and everyone with whom he surrounds himself are corrupt as fuck.