The Second Circuit of Appeals court has ruled that Trump can’t block his accounting firm from turning over his taxes to the state of New York:
CNBC – A federal appeals court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s tax returns must be turned over to a state grand jury.
The three-judge appeals panel in New York rejected Trump’s argument that he is immune as president from criminal investigation while in the White House.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is seeking Trump’s corporate and personal tax returns from his accounting firm Mazars as part of a criminal investigation. Trump sued to block the subpoena that Vance’s office sent to Mazars in September.
While the judges aren’t buying Trump’s argument of immunity, they also note that Trump will undoubtedly appeal their decision to the Supreme Court:
The panel of judges on the U.S. Second Circuit of Appeals predicted that Trump’s lawyers are all but certain to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. If Trump stands down from the legal fight, Mazars will have to hand over the documents sought by the New York DA.
It goes without saying that this will be appealed to the Supreme Court. The question is whether the Supreme Court will even take up the case, and if they do, when it will be heard. This matters because as long as the legal fight continues, Mazars doesn’t have to hand over Trump’s taxes. And considering there’s an election next year, timing could be everything.
New York’s investigation is related to Trump’s hush money payments:
Vance is investigating, at the very least, how the Trump Organization accounted for hush money payments made to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump years ago. Trump has denied the affairs.
In case you were wondering, the three judges who issued the ruling were appointed by Clinton and Obama.