Trump sues House Oversight chairman Cummings

U.S. President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization on Monday sued House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings in a bid to block a subpoena requesting the president's financial records.

"Democrats are using their new control of congressional committees to investigate every aspect of President Trump's personal finances, businesses, and even his family," the suit read.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to prevent Cummings from obtaining records from Mazars USA LLP, an accounting firm used by Trump and his businesses, accusing Cummings of abusing subpoena power.

"Instead of working with the president to pass bipartisan legislation that would actually benefit Americans, House Democrats are singularly obsessed with finding something they can use to damage the President politically," the suit said.

In the suit, Trump's legal team complained that the Democrats have "issued more than 100 subpoenas and requests to anyone with even the most tangential connection to the President."

Cummings wrote last week that the subpoena, targeting all of Trump's financial records, is a result of a testimony from Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who claimed that the president "altered the estimated value of his assets and liabilities on financial statements."

Democrats sent a letter to Mazars in March requesting information about how Trump's financial statements were prepared, but the firm said it could not voluntarily turn over documents unless subpoenaed, according to local media reports.