How Far Into President Trump’s Finances Will Democrats Dig?

In July 2017, President Trump told The New York Times that if special counsel Robert Mueller investigated his personal finances, he would be crossing a “red line.”

I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia. So I think if he wants to go, my finances are extremely good, my company is an unbelievably successful company. And actually, when I do my filings, peoples say, “Man.” People have no idea how successful this is. It's a great company. But I don't even think about the company anymore. I think about this. 'Cause one thing, when you do this, companies seem very trivial. O.K.? I really mean that. They seem very trivial. But I have no income from Russia. I don't do business with Russia.

The president might be averse to having his finances scrutinized, but change is afoot in Washington — and that could mean change for the parameters of the Mueller probe, too.

Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, giving them subpoena power and authority over the chamber's committees. One such committee is the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Representative Adam Schiff, D-CA.

CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin recently profiled Rep. Schiff for The New Yorker, and the new chair has made it clear he has plans for President Trump.

Schiff went on, “At the end of the day, what should concern us most is anything that can have a continuing impact on the foreign policy and national-security policy of the United States, and, if the Russians were laundering money for the Trump Organization, that would be totally compromising.” Schiff hypothesizes that Trump went beyond using his campaign and the Presidency as a vehicle for advancing his business interests, speculating that he may have shaped policy with an eye to expanding his fortune. “There's a whole constellation of issues where that is essentially the center of gravity,” Schiff said.

Will new Democratic leadership give the green light to cross the president's “red line?”

Produced by Avery Kleinman. Text by Kathryn Fink.

GUESTS

Jeffrey Toobin, Staff writer, The New Yorker; senior legal analyst, CNN; author, “The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court” (Doubleday); former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, New York; @JeffreyToobin

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA; Chair, House Intelligence Committee; @RepAdamSchiff

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