Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has upheld a prosecutor’s demand for President Donald Trump’s tax returns as part of a criminal investigation into hush-money payments to women who claim they had affairs with Trump.
The court ruled Thursday in a case in which it heard arguments by telephone in May because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The records are held by Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, which has said it would comply with a court order.
The court rejected arguments by Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department that the president is immune from investigation while he holds office or that a prosecutor must show a greater need than normal to obtain the records.
President Trump has tweeted in reaction to the ruling:
PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2020
Meantime, the Supreme Court has kept a hold on Trump’s financial records that Congress has been seeking for more than a year.
The ruling returns the case to lower courts, with no clear prospect for when the case might ultimately be resolved.
The 7-2 outcome is at least a short-term victory for Trump, who has strenuously sought to keep his financial records private.
