Trump's Efforts to Quash Manhattan DA's Tax Subpoena: A Tortured Version of the Rule of Law

September 22, 2019  |  The Insider: White Collar Defense and Securities Enforcement

In January 2016, President Trump publicly announced that he would “absolutely” release his tax returns. Since that proclamation, Trump consistently has fought efforts to disclose those same returns. Continuing that trend, Trump has filed a federal complaint to enjoin a subpoena from Manhattan prosecutors that required Trump’s accountant to produce his tax returns. Through his lawsuit, Trump has staked out an unreasonably broad conception of presidential immunity that finds no support in the law—and contorts “policy” beyond recognition. Indeed, read literally, it could unreasonably suggest that even a President’s coconspirators could not be investigated, if to do so would touch on information about the President. [...]

Trump's Efforts to Quash Manhattan DA's Tax Subpoena: A Tortured Version of the Rule of Law