Himes: ‘Don’t get too carried away’ on Trump-Deutsche Bank probe

Rep. Jim Himes is warning his Democratic colleagues not to go overboard in their zeal to launch investigations into President Trump”™s financial dealings with Deutsche Bank.

In an interview with Politico, Himes noted a call by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the incoming chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, that she would follow the “Trump money trail” concerning millions in loans from Deutsche Bank to the Trump Organization. Prior to his election as president in November 2016, Trump’s financial disclosures showed he held roughly $360 million in debt to the German lender. Deutsche Bank has been under separate scrutiny for its involvement with alleged Russian money laundering, but Himes expressed concern that an aggressive investigation with blatant goals of attacking the president would backfire.

“The American people will understand thoughtful, well-grounded investigations,” said Himes, who was recently re-elected to a sixth term in Connecticut”™s 4th Congressional District. “But they will bridle at investigations that seem overtly political.”

Himes, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, recalled the blowback that Republicans received in their investigations of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

“There are enough questions around Deutsche Bank that it’s worth getting some answers,” he said. “But again, I think we’re going to need to make sure that we don’t get too carried away on investigations.”