A United States appeals court has ordered President Donald Trump to hand over eight years worth of tax returns to NY prosecutors.
The case is Trump v. Vance, 19-03204, Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Manhattan). It could, however, wait until its next term to hear the case, potentially pushing its decision until after Mr. Trump goes up for re-election next year.
Several weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan tossed out Trump's lawsuit seeking to block his accountant from letting a grand jury see his tax records from 2011.
Trump has broken previous presidential precedent by refusing to release his tax returns.
The three-judge panel on the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in NY rejected Trump's argument that he is immune from criminal prosecution and investigation while president.
Trump's legal team has claimed that he is shielded from such investigations due to his status as president.
The ruling by a unanimous three-judge panel of the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals backed the ability of prosecutors to enforce a subpoena for the returns against accounting firm Mazars LLP.
He has said that he wouldn't release his tax returns because he says he is under a federal audit.
Cyrus Vance, Jr. the DA for Manhattan, announcing the largest indicted gang case in NYC history at the NYPD headquarters in Manhattan on June 4, 2014. Vance is investigating whether Trump broke NY state law when the Trump Organization allegedly reimbursed Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, for $130,000 in hush money Cohen paid to Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.
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The process Rosenhaus is referring to is the NFL's investigation into accusations that Brown sexually assaulted multiple women. The Seahawks' acquisition of Gordon doesn't mean they can't revisit signing Brown if and when the investigation is over.
Monday's decision roundly rejected that argument, even while staying narrowly focused on the third party subpoena the court was considering.
Trump's lawyers claimed in court that their client doesn't need to abide by Vance's injunction because as president of the United States he can not be prosecuted for an offense. The ruling requires the president's accounting firm to hand over the documents requested by the district attorney's office. Trump has denied having sexual relationships with the two women.
The federal judges, however, refused to take a position on claims by Trump's attorneys that as America's leader he is immune from any criminal investigation. Trump then appealed that resolution.
A spokesman for Mr. Vance said the office had no comment on the appeals court decision.
The ruling, however, did not decide on Trump's most central claim, that he is immune from being charged with a state crime while in office. "Local authorities couldn't investigate?" the judge asked, adding: "Nothing could be done?".
Trump's lawyers have said the probe by Vance, a Democrat, is politically motivated.
In an appellate brief, the department wrote that Mr. Vance's office should not be able to obtain the president's personal records unless and until it could show that they were central to the investigation, not available elsewhere and were needed immediately, rather than after Mr. Trump leaves office.
The appeals court typically considers cases via three-judge panels.
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