Eric Trump Jokes About Tiffany Day-Drinking While Complaining About Congress (Even Though Their Dad Doesn't Like Alcohol)
Eric Trump made a joking reference about sister Tiffany Trump‘s drinking habits earlier this week as he defended a lawsuit the Trump family has filed in an attempt to keep their financial records out of Congress’ reach.
Addressing the suit, which was filed in federal court on Monday, the president’s middle son, 35, appeared on Fox News on Tuesday as he explained why the family had decided to take legal action.
The Trumps argue the Congressional subpoenas for their records — made to the companies where they do business, such as Deutsche Bank — are over-broad and without constitutional authority. Legal experts have said this case is dubious.
Democratic lawmakers say the probes are needed to illuminate the Trumps’ intensely private business dealings, which have routinely raised ethical concerns after President Trump took office
On Fox News Tuesday, Eric echoed the idea that Congress was unnecessarily rummaging around in their personal lives.
“By the way, it’s not just my father. It’s: ‘Eric, I want to see all your bank records. I want to know how much Lara spent on baby formula for Luke,’ ” he said, referencing wife Lara and their son Eric “Luke” Trump, 19 months. The couple is currently expecting a second child.
Eric continued, mocking Congress: “’I want to know how many beers Tiffany had on Friday afternoon in Georgetown.’ I mean, these are literally the things they’re asking for.”
Tiffany, 25, is attending Georgetown Law School. Eric runs the family’s Trump Organization with older brother Donald Trump Jr. while their father is in the White House,
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Notably, the president does not drink, a decision he has said was based on watching his older brother’s descent into alcoholism.
“And to this day I’ve never had a drink, and I have no longing for it. I have no interest in it,” he said in 2017. “To this day, I’ve never had a cigarette.”
“I don’t drink beer,” Trump told reporters last October during the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, according to the Washington Post. “I’ve never had a beer. And I’m not saying good or bad, some people like it. I just choose not to do that for a lot of reasons.”
A person close to the White House went on to tell the Post that “it’s not disqualifying or anything serious, but he doesn’t like drinkers.”
On Monday, Trump, along with his three eldest children and his private company, filed suit against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in an attempt to prevent the banks from responding to subpoenas to turn over information regarding the family’s finances.
The subpoenas, which were issued in April, appear to be related to the ongoing investigation into whether Trump and his associates had illegal dealings with Russia.
“The potential use of the U.S. financial system for illicit purposes is a very serious concern,” Rep. Maxine Waters said in a statement at the time, according to The New York Times.
The paper reported on Monday: “People with knowledge of the investigation said it related to possible money laundering by people in Russia and Eastern Europe.”
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This is not the first time Eric has spoken out against the financial subpoenas.
Last month, in a statement to The New York Times, he called them “an unprecedented abuse of power and simply the latest attempt by House Democrats to attack the president and our family for political gain.” He alleged that the legal action “set a horrible precedent for all taxpayers.”
Not so, Rep. Waters has said: The House Committee on Financial Services was “exploring these matters, including as they may involve the president and his associates, as thoroughly as possible pursuant to its oversight authority, and will follow the facts wherever they may lead us.”
• With reporting by ADAM CARLSON
