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(CNN) - The president of the United States Donald Trump lost his appeal on Friday to stop a citation from the House of his tax documents from his former accountant Mazars USA.
In a 2-1 ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit confirmed a ruling from a lower court that said the company must deliver more than eight years of accounting records.
The opinion is a strong signal that the White House letter earlier this week - refusing to cooperate with the political trial investigation without a full House vote authorizing it - will not prosper in court.
The court specifically intervened on this idea and wrote that "it has no authority" to require the House to have a full vote so that it can make a subpoena to investigate the president, citing the Constitution.
"The courts lack the power to invalidate a duly authorized citation from Congress simply because it could have been 'better [if] ... the entire Chamber' had specifically authorized or issued it," the court wrote. "Unless and until Congress adopts a rule that offends the Constitution, the courts have no vote on how each chamber chooses to handle its internal affairs."
It is the first important case at the appellate court level in the ongoing confrontation between the House and Trump. The president has lost all his resources so far that they have decided in the trial court to stop the citation of the House.
Trump may appeal to the Supreme Court to arrest Mazars, but the courts, including the Supreme Court, have previously refused to reduce the citation power of Congress.
"We are reviewing the opinion and evaluating all appeal options," said Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow.
In a statement, the accounting firm wrote: Mazars USA will respect the legal process and fully comply with its legal obligations. We strongly believe in the ethical and professional norms and regulations that govern our industry, our work and interactions with our customers. As a matter of firm policy and professional standards, we do not comment on the work we do for our clients. ”
Trump will have seven days to request another appeal on the decision that supports the citation of the House to present its fiscal documents.
Tax return Political judgment
