Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch listens as President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 10, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Nov 14, 2019
President Donald Trump late Thursday asked the right-wing Supreme Court to block the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena for his tax returns, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office."
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns."
--Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Trump's 179-page petition (pdf) to the Supreme Court represents the final stage in the president's effort to stop Manhattan prosecutors from obtaining eight years of his personal and business tax records. Mazars USA, Trump's accounting firm, has said it will hand over the state documents if the Supreme Court declines to hear the case.
Ryan Thomas, spokesperson for progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, said in a statement that the president's "appeal to block the release of his tax returns is nothing more than a last-ditch effort to stymie a criminal investigation that's breathing down his neck."
"No one is above the law, including Donald Trump," said Thomas. "It's absolutely shocking the lengths Donald Trump will go to to shield himself from accountability. If Trump has nothing to hide, then he should immediately release his tax returns and give the American people the transparency they deserve."
\u201cRe: subpoena for his tax returns, Trump legal team files 179 page brief arguing that "he is absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office" https://t.co/jqazNpkk4g\u201d— Jamie Dupree (@Jamie Dupree) 1573769616
In October, as Common Dreams reported, Judge Victor Marrero of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rejected Trump's claim of absolute immunity from criminal investigations, calling it "repugnant."
"This court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process as being countenanced by the nation's constitutional plan," wrote Marrero. "The expansive notion of constitutional immunity invoked here to shield the president from judicial process would constitute an overreach of executive power."
Trump's petition to the Supreme Court--which the president has driven further to the right by appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh--came just a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to review an earlier appeals court ruling that rejected Trump's effort to block a House Oversight and Reform Committee subpoena for eight years of his federal tax returns.
Jay Sekulow, one of the president's attorneys, quickly signaled Trump would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington tweeted Thursday.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Donald Trump late Thursday asked the right-wing Supreme Court to block the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena for his tax returns, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office."
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns."
--Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Trump's 179-page petition (pdf) to the Supreme Court represents the final stage in the president's effort to stop Manhattan prosecutors from obtaining eight years of his personal and business tax records. Mazars USA, Trump's accounting firm, has said it will hand over the state documents if the Supreme Court declines to hear the case.
Ryan Thomas, spokesperson for progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, said in a statement that the president's "appeal to block the release of his tax returns is nothing more than a last-ditch effort to stymie a criminal investigation that's breathing down his neck."
"No one is above the law, including Donald Trump," said Thomas. "It's absolutely shocking the lengths Donald Trump will go to to shield himself from accountability. If Trump has nothing to hide, then he should immediately release his tax returns and give the American people the transparency they deserve."
\u201cRe: subpoena for his tax returns, Trump legal team files 179 page brief arguing that "he is absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office" https://t.co/jqazNpkk4g\u201d— Jamie Dupree (@Jamie Dupree) 1573769616
In October, as Common Dreams reported, Judge Victor Marrero of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rejected Trump's claim of absolute immunity from criminal investigations, calling it "repugnant."
"This court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process as being countenanced by the nation's constitutional plan," wrote Marrero. "The expansive notion of constitutional immunity invoked here to shield the president from judicial process would constitute an overreach of executive power."
Trump's petition to the Supreme Court--which the president has driven further to the right by appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh--came just a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to review an earlier appeals court ruling that rejected Trump's effort to block a House Oversight and Reform Committee subpoena for eight years of his federal tax returns.
Jay Sekulow, one of the president's attorneys, quickly signaled Trump would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington tweeted Thursday.
President Donald Trump late Thursday asked the right-wing Supreme Court to block the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena for his tax returns, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office."
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns."
--Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Trump's 179-page petition (pdf) to the Supreme Court represents the final stage in the president's effort to stop Manhattan prosecutors from obtaining eight years of his personal and business tax records. Mazars USA, Trump's accounting firm, has said it will hand over the state documents if the Supreme Court declines to hear the case.
Ryan Thomas, spokesperson for progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, said in a statement that the president's "appeal to block the release of his tax returns is nothing more than a last-ditch effort to stymie a criminal investigation that's breathing down his neck."
"No one is above the law, including Donald Trump," said Thomas. "It's absolutely shocking the lengths Donald Trump will go to to shield himself from accountability. If Trump has nothing to hide, then he should immediately release his tax returns and give the American people the transparency they deserve."
\u201cRe: subpoena for his tax returns, Trump legal team files 179 page brief arguing that "he is absolutely immune from all stages of state criminal process while in office" https://t.co/jqazNpkk4g\u201d— Jamie Dupree (@Jamie Dupree) 1573769616
In October, as Common Dreams reported, Judge Victor Marrero of the Federal District Court in Manhattan rejected Trump's claim of absolute immunity from criminal investigations, calling it "repugnant."
"This court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process as being countenanced by the nation's constitutional plan," wrote Marrero. "The expansive notion of constitutional immunity invoked here to shield the president from judicial process would constitute an overreach of executive power."
Trump's petition to the Supreme Court--which the president has driven further to the right by appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh--came just a day after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to review an earlier appeals court ruling that rejected Trump's effort to block a House Oversight and Reform Committee subpoena for eight years of his federal tax returns.
Jay Sekulow, one of the president's attorneys, quickly signaled Trump would appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
"That President Trump is going to the Supreme Court to try to avoid scrutiny of his finances does not exactly inspire confidence in what will be found in his tax returns," Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington tweeted Thursday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.