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The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee requested that Rep. Jason Chaffetz launch an investigation into Donald Trump's finances to ensure that the incoming president doesn't have any conflicts of interest.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., sent a letter to the Utah congressman Monday, outlining his concerns while noting that Republicans have spent years investigating President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"We have never had a president like Mr. Trump in terms of his vast financial entanglements and his widespread business interests around the globe," said Cummings, noting Trump hasn't released his tax returns, as is customary with presidential candidates. "Mr. Trump's unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president."
Reached Monday, Chaffetz, the committee chairman, said he hadn't read Cummings letter and declined to comment on it.
In the days after Trump's unexpected victory, Chaffetz said he would keep an eye on the president-elect, but would maintain his focus on Clinton, the Democratic nominee, for her use of a private email server that contained some classified messages.
"I'm not out to get her," Chaffetz said last week, "but I am here to find the truth and make sure it never happens again."
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., contradicted Chaffetz during an interview Sunday, saying House Republicans would shelve any investigation of Clinton to focus on Trump's policy goals in the areas of investment in highways and bridges, immigration and repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Cummings argued a Trump investigation is necessary in part because the president-elect plans to turn over his real estate and branding business to three of his five children.
Those three — Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric — are also members of the president-elect's transition team.
The investigation should involve public hearings, Cummings said, so members of Congress could "invite appropriate officials designated by Mr. Trump to hear from them directly about their plans."
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is the primary investigative arm of Congress, often delving into the actions of the executive branch. Under Obama, Chaffetz has launched investigations into everything from the Secret Service to the IRS to Planned Parenthood's involvement in providing tissue to researchers to the Benghazi terrorist attack.
Cummings argued that some of those investigations were "for partisan political purposes."
"Now that Republicans control the White House and Congress, it is incumbent on you and other Republicans to conduct robust oversight over Mr. Trump," Cummings wrote to Chaffetz, "not for partisan reasons, but to ensure that our government operates effectively and efficiently and combats even the perception of corruption or abuse."
Twitter: @mattcanham
— Tribune reporter Thomas Burr contributed to this story