REVEALED: Deutsche Bank hands over Donald Trump's financial records to NYC prosecutors as state attorney general says she will make a 'major national announcement' today

New York prosecutors were able to obtain Donald Trump's financial records from Deutsche Bank last year, it has been revealed, as the state's attorney general plans a mysterious major announcement on Thursday.  

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, a Democrat, sent a subpoena last year to Deutsche Bank as part of its investigation into Trump´s business dealings, the New York Times reported Wednesday, citing four people familiar with the inquiry.

The bank complied with the subpoena, turning over records including financial statements Trump gave the bank when he was borrowing money, two of those people told the Times.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, also subpoenaed the bank for records related to Trump last year following Michael Cohen's testimony. 

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The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance (above) sent a subpoena last year to Deutsche Bank as part of its investigation into Trump´s business dealings

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New York Attorney General Letitia James (above), a Democrat, also subpoenaed the bank for records related to Trump last year following Cohen´s testimony

On Wednesday night, James' office said she will deliver a 'major national announcement' on Thursday at 11.30am. 

The subject of the announcement was not immediately clear, and it may be unrelated to the widening criminal probe into Trump's business practices.

Vance, a Democrat, this week suggested a grand jury subpoena for Trump's tax returns was part of an investigation of 'possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization,' including alleged insurance and bank fraud.

Vance's investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization was spurred by disclosures of hush payments to two women who said they had had sexual relationships with Trump before he became president. Trump has denied the claims.

Vance's office declined to comment on the New York Times report. Attorneys for Trump and for Deutsche Bank didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Manhattan prosecutor, who is a Democrat, was among several authorities in New York who launched investigations last year after Trump´s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, told congress that the president had a practice of misleading business associates and tax officials about the value of his assets.

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Prosecutors in New York are conducting a criminal probe into Trump's business dealings

Vance hasn't disclosed details about his probe, but his lawyers told a federal judge this week that it was a 'complex financial investigation' that followed public reports of 'extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.'

As part of the investigation, Vance asked Trump´s accountants to turn over eight years of his personal and corporate tax records. The accounting firm has yet to comply as Trump and Vance have battled in court over the validity of the subpoena.

Other investigators have requested records from Deutsche Bank, which was one of the few banks willing to lend to Trump after a series of corporate bankruptcies starting in the early 1990s.  

Trump addressed the case at a White House press briefing on Monday, saying 'This is just a continuation of the witch hunt.'

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Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured) hasn't disclosed details about his probe, but his lawyers told a federal judge this week that it was a 'complex financial investigation' that followed public reports of 'extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization'

'It’s Democrat stuff they failed with Mueller they failed with everything,' Trump said, referencing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which generally confined itself to allegations of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russians. The report preceded a failed Democratic impeachment effort.

'They failed at every stage of the game,' Trump said. 'Even before I got in this was starting with the Mueller deal. Mueller started a little bit after,' Trump corrected himself. Mueller was appointed after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation in 2017.

Trump also said he was barely familiar with the matter, which was reported in the New York Times and a variety of outlets as a court filing was made public.   

'There’s nothing that I know even about it,' Trump said. 'I said what’s this all about? I know nothing about it.'

'It’s a terrible thing that they do. It’s really a terrible thing. The witch hunt has gone on long enough,' he said. 

Trump cries 'witch hunt' after NY prosecutor launches probe

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Two congressional committees, both controlled by Democrats, subpoenaed the bank for documents related to Trump, who sued to block their release.

Trump has said the investigations are all politically motivated. Earlier this week, he called Vance´s investigation 'a continuation of the witch hunt.'

After Trump's shock election victory in 2016, his relationship with Deutsche Bank has attracted scrutiny from lawmakers.

The House Financial Services Committee has examined possible money laundering in US property deals involving Trump. 

The House Intelligence Committee has investigated whether Trump’s dealings left him vulnerable to the influence of foreign individuals or governments.

The two committees issued subpoenas in April 2019 requiring Deutsche Bank to hand over the banking records of Trump, his children and his businesses.

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Deutsche Bank reportedly complied with the subpoena, turning over records including financial statements Trump gave the bank when he was borrowing money

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors in New York could seek Trump's financial records from lenders including Deutsche Bank.  

It is part of a criminal investigation that began in 2018 into Trump and the Trump Organization, the president’s family real estate business, spurred by disclosures of hush payments made to two women who said they had past sexual relationships with him - pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. 

Trump and his aides have denied the relationships. 

Investigators hope the records will reveal whether there are any financial links between Trump and Russia’s government, sources familiar with the probe have said.

Sources within Deutsche Bank have denied any Russian connections to Trump loans.

At the time he became president in January 2017, Trump owed the bank around $350 million, according to sources.

The Financial Services Committee also issued a subpoena to Capital One, which had maintained a long-term relationship with Trump and has been scrutinized for some of its business practices.