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U.S. House Democrats seek info from Deutsche Bank on Trump accounts

Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan speaks during the bank's annual general meeting in Frankfurt, Germany May 18, 2017.  REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan speaks during the bank's annual general meeting in Frankfurt, Germany May 18, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

Thomson Reuters

(Reuters) - Democrats on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee said on Wednesday they have asked Deutsche Bank to provide information on whether any accounts connected to U.S. President Donald Trump have ties to Russia.

Committee Democrats sent a letter to Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer John Cryan on Tuesday seeking details of internal reviews to determine if Trump's loans were backed by the Russian government.

The congressional inquiry also seeks information about a Russian "mirror trading" scheme that allowed $10 billion to flow out of Russia.

“Congress remains in the dark on whether loans Deutsche Bank made to President Trump were guaranteed by the Russian government, or were in any way connected to Russia," the Democrats wrote. "It is critical that you provide this committee with the information necessary to assess the scope, findings and conclusions of your internal reviews.”

Citing media reports, the Democrats called for the bank to hand over any documents tied to internal reviews of Trump’s personal accounts at the bank. They also said the bank should state publicly that it had reviewed both the "mirror trading" scheme and Trump’s accounts.

Mirror trading involved buying stocks, for example, in Moscow in rubles, with related parties selling the same stocks shortly thereafter through a bank's London branch.

They also called on the bank to name an independent auditor to verify the results of the reviews, which should be turned over to the committee “as soon as reasonably practicable.”

Renee Calabro, a spokeswoman for Deutsche, declined to comment.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and David Gregorio)

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