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In a landmark decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress couldn’t access President Donald Trump’s financial records. However, the court didn’t preclude district attorneys in New York from accessing the president’s financial documents. Meanwhile, the president has gone to extreme lengths to keep his finances private, fighting Congressional subpoenas into his tax returns all the way to the Supreme Court.
Following the Thursday morning ruling, Trump took to Twitter to voice his frustrations. “The Supreme Court sends case back to Lower Court, arguments to continue. This is all a political prosecution. I won the Mueller Witch Hunt, and others, and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this Presidency or Administration!”
The Manhattan DA’s office is investigating a possible hush-money case that involves the president. In the case, two women allege they were paid by Michael Cohen, Trump’s disgraced fixer. The reason? To keep quiet about alleged affairs during the election cycle. If true, this would represent a campaign finance crime, and could result in legal action against the president.
The Supreme Court left the door open for the Manhattan DA to pursue the president’s finances in connection to this investigation. However, the court has also empowered Trump to fight off House democrats seeking to access his financial records. The Supreme Court decision makes it likely that the matter will remain unresolved through the election. The case will have to rise back through the lower courts to be resolved.
Needless to say, the House isn’t seeking a simple tax return filed with Intuit Pro Series tax software. Trump, as a wealthy real estate mogul, would possess rather complex financial records that could be incredibly revealing if made public. The House has sought the documents in connection to investigations into alleged connections between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Meanwhile, Trump has already weathered an impeachment and a lengthy Special Counsel investigation. Likewise, he is in the midst of twin crises in the US that are pushing him to the brink. The COVID-19 pandemic, paired with Black Lives Matter protests, have tanked Trump’s public approval ratings. Now, the election might be a bit more predictable: many pundits expect challenger Joe Biden to have a more likely path to victory than Trump.
That being said, this is 2020 we’re talking about. No one would be surprised if some crazy turn hit the country between now and November.
