Deutsche Bank says it can't share information on Trump dealings

[TOKYO] Deutsche Bank AG said it is unable share information on its relationship with President Donald Trump and his family, responding to a request from Democratic Party lawmakers to hand over findings on two politically charged matters.

The German bank's lawyers said in a statement Thursday that it couldn't provide information even if the customer is a government official because the lender is required by law to maintain confidentiality of non-public information.

"While we seek to cooperate, we must obey the law," they said.

Representative Maxine Waters of California and four other Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee asked Deutsche Bank to hand over findings on two issues: its banking on behalf of Mr Trump and trades from the bank's Moscow operation that helped move some US$10 billion out of Russia.

The lawmakers asked the Frankfurt-based lender for an internal report about its conduct in the Russian "mirror trading" scandal. They also asked for any internal review of Mr Trump's business dealings with the bank, descriptions of which have surfaced in news reports.

BLOOMBERG