Oct 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump asks Supreme Court to block subpoena for tax returns

Trump

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Trump's attorneys filed an emergency request on Tuesday asking the Supreme Court to block a lower court's ruling that would allow the Manhattan district attorney to enforce a subpoena for his personal and corporate tax returns.

The state of play: This could be the second time that the long-running legal battle over Trump's finances ends up before the Supreme Court. In July, the court ruled that presidents are not immune from investigation but sent the case back down to lower courts, where Trump's lawyers could try again to fight the subpoena.

  • A three-judge appeals panel in New York rejected Trump's argument last week that the subpoena from Manhattan DA Cy Vance was overbroad and amounted to political harassment.
  • Vance agreed to hold off on enforcing the subpoena for 12 days on the condition that Trump's lawyers moved quickly to appeal.

The big picture: Vance's office, which is one of several probing Trump's business dealings and financials, was initially believed to be examining hush money payments made by Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen during the 2016 election.

  • Recent court filings, however, suggest that the scope of the probe is far broader and that Trump could be under investigation for tax fraud.

Read the emergency request.

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