Supreme Court blocks Congress from getting Trump’s tax records, sending case to lower court
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, says Democrats are constantly going after Trump’s tax returns and business records.
President Trump on Thursday slammed the Supreme Court’s decision to deny him immunity from a subpoena over his financial and tax records to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., claiming he's the victim of “political prosecution."
“The Supreme Court sends case back to Lower Court, arguments to continue,” Trump tweeted. “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.”
He added: “Not fair to this Presidency or Administration!”
The president’s tweet comes after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Trump is not immune from a subpoena over his financial records. Vance had subpoenaed Trump’s records as part of a criminal investigation into potential wrongdoing by the president and the Trump Organization.
SUPREME COURT PUNTS, DENIES TRUMP IMMUNITY BUT BLOCKS HOUSE DEMS FROM TAX DOCS
"President is neither absolutely immune from state criminal subpoenas seeking his private papers nor entitled to a heightened standard of need," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court's majority opinion in the New York case. The court limited its ruling and the arguments before it to whether Trump has "absolute immunity" and state prosecutors are required to show a "heightened need" in order to obtain documents as part of investigations into a president.
The president "may raise further arguments as appropriate," in lower courts in an effort to keep Vance from obtaining his documents, Roberts wrote.
Also Thursday, the Supreme Court declined, in a separate case, to issue a definitive ruling on whether congressional committees can have access to Trump’s financial records, throwing that issue back to a lower court as well.
Roberts also authored the opinion in the House case.
SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR IN OBAMACARE CONTRACEPTION CASE
"Without limits on its subpoena powers, Congress could 'exert an imperious control' over the Executive Branch and aggrandize itself at the President’s expense, just as the Framers feared," he wrote.
The rulings, in the near term, represent a partial victory for the president -- he will not have to turn over financial documents in the midst of a fraught presidential election.
The president's attorney, Jay Sekulow, issued a statement after the ruling, saying that they "are pleased that in the decisions issued today, the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked both Congress and New York prosecutors from obtaining the President’s tax records."
"We will now proceed to raise additional Constitutional and legal issues in the lower courts," Sekulow said.
Meanwhile, the president went on to issue a series of tweets, slamming everything from the Supreme Court, to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the city of New York.
"We have a totally corrupt previous Administration, including a President and Vice President who spied on my campaign, AND GOT CAIGHT...and nothing happens to them," Trump tweeted. "This crime was taking place even before my election, everyone knows it, and yet all are frozen stiff with fear."
"No Republican Senate Judiciary response, NO “JUSTICE”, NO FBI, NO NOTHING," he tweeted. "Major horror show REPORTS on Comey & McCabe, guilty as hell, nothing happens. Catch Obama & Biden cold, nothing. A 3 year, $45,000,000 Mueller HOAX, failed - investigated everything."
"Won all against the Federal Government and the Democrats send everything to politically corrupt New York, which is falling apart with everyone leaving, to give it a second, third and fourth try," Trump continued. "Now the Supreme Court gives a delay ruling that they would never have given for another President."
He added: "This is about PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT. We catch the other side SPYING on my campaign, the biggest political crime and scandal in U.S. history, and NOTHING HAPPENS."
The president went on to tout his administration, saying "despite this, I have done more than any President in history in first 3 1/2 years!"
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden fired back on Twitter: "@RealDonaldTrump, you want to talk about corruption? I’ve released 21 years of my tax returns — release yours or shut up."
Fox News’ John Roberts, Tyler Olson and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
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