NYC DA will get Trump’s financial records – maybe – but Congress won’t – updated

The Manhattan prosecutor can obtain President Trump’s financial records, the Supreme Court ruled today.

President Trump is not immune from the grand jury process, the 7-2 ruling states. He can’t claim he doesn’t have to answer subpoenas from states.

The DA won’t get the documents now, however. It will take several weeks for the formal papers to be issued.

Also, the President can sue again in the lower courts, raising additional arguments. The ruling allows for that, and it will likely be delayed until after November 3rd.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance sought eight years’ worth of Trump’s business and personal tax records for an investigation of payments made to two women who claimed they had affairs with him — allegations (of the affairs) the president has consistently denied.

Once Vance gets it, it will be leaked.

SCOTUS knows this is politically driven.

SCOTUS ruled Congress — House Democrats — cannot have the papers and they sent it back to the lower court. That won’t happen before the election either.

“Without limits on its subpoena powers, Congress could ‘exert an imperious controul’ over the Executive Branch and aggrandize itself at the President’s expense, just as the Framers feared,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court’s opinion.

Update: The headline was updated after the second decision was added.

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