Donald Trump and his White House have made it perfectly clear that they will block any and every attempt by House Democrats to perform constitutional oversight of the executive branch. From security clearances to taxes to financial records to discussions with foreign leaders—whatever Democrats inquire about will be roundly rejected by Trump's White House and his personal lawyers, leaving Democrats with no choice but to engage in a round of court battles to obtain the materials. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a member of both the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, called Trump's effort "an assault" on the separation of powers.
“They are fighting us on everything now," Rep. Raskin told the Washington Post. "They basically have decided that they want to thwart congressional oversight power."
The problem for Democrats now isn't just the sheer number of inquiries the White House is stonewalling—it's that time is of the essence. Any congressional subpoena issued and/or criminal contempt charges filed with a local U.S. attorney expire at the end of a Congress. That's what happened in 2007, when House Democrats subpoenaed former George W. Bush White House counsel Harriet Miers over a United States attorney scandal during his presidency. The White House invoked executive privilege, and the court battle was still raging by the time the 110th Congress shuttered in January 2009. Democrats ultimately got some of the documentation through subsequent negotiations, but the proceeding gives a window into the protracted fights that are sure to ensue with a White House that won't give an inch on anything.
One piece of fertile ground for Democrats could be subpoenaing businesses like Deutsche Bank and the accounting firm Mazars USA that have financial ties to Trump. In fact, both entities appear to be cooperating with congressional inquiries. Trump is so worried about the dialogue that his personal attorneys sent an intimidating letter to Mazars seeking to quash their cooperation. But businesses are much more likely to simply comply with a congressional subpoena rather than fight one. So any entity that escapes the umbrella of the White House and its executive privilege claims will be much more likely to produce results for Democrats.
"Unlike the president, these outside entities understand that congressional subpoenas are mandatory, and they understand their legal obligation to comply with the law rather than obstruct it,” noted House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings.
It's also possible that Trump will sue to block release of a private matter, but even the former House counsel for the GOP majority from 2011 to 2016, Kerry Kircher, said he thinks "that's a loser" for Trump.
If there's a silver lining here, it's that Democrats' multi-pronged effort to get at Trump's finances is reportedly infuriating him.
But buckle in, lots of legal drudgery lies ahead and Democrats' strongest efforts will clearly be aimed at obtaining the full Mueller report and insights into Trump's finances. In the end, the success of the entire venture mounted by House Democrats may come down to how Trump's supercharged effort to evade constitutional oversight plays to voters. It certainly doesn't make him look innocent or even remotely interested in letting the voters decide what matters and what doesn't to them. In fact, it's just another exercise in complete and total obstruction.