Democrats asked 81 Trump affiliates for documents — but not Ivanka. Here's why.

(Image credit: Andreas Gebert/Reuters)

last updated 5 March 2019

House Democrats served up document requests to nearly everyone affiliated with President Trump and his campaign on Monday. Well, everyone except Ivanka Trump.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler's (D-N.Y.) request is part of what he calls a plan to "build the public record" of potential "obstruction of justice," "public corruption," and "abuses of power" in the Trump administration. He's looking for payments between National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Trump, translation records of Trump's discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and a whole bunch of things from Trump's two eldest sons.

Both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.'s requests specifically seek any ties between foreign entities and Ivanka or her businesses, but Democrats didn't ask her for documents as well. That prompted CNN to ask Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) if, like another Democrat reportedly said, Democrats are worried the "optics of grilling the president's daughter would backfire." Kelly disputed that idea, saying that, if handled "in a methodical way," she wasn't "sure" if requesting documents from Ivanka "would backfire."

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One Democrat, Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.), did mirror that language in telling CNN last week the "optics" of "compelling testimony from members of the [Trump] family ... could backfire." But Connolly didn't single out Ivanka, except to say the two Trump sons are already under investigation in the Southern District of New York, and that "it may be better to let that play out" before the House talks to them.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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