Chief Justice Temporarily Keeps House Panel From Reviewing Trump Tax Records
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily blocked a House panel from accessing the financial records of former President Trump ahead of their expected release later this week.
As is the Supreme Court’s long-standing custom, the chief justice, who handles emergency matters arising in the District of Columbia, did not explain the rationale for his decision.
He did, however, set a deadline of noon on Thursday Nov. 10, for a response to Trump’s request for a delay.
Trump asked Roberts to block the release of his tax documents while his attorneys prepare a formal appeal of an earlier ruling, ordering the release of the documents, by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
If the chief justices hadn’t stayed the lower court’s ruling, the appellate panel would have issued a mandate completing its ruling on Wednesday, which would free the Treasury Department to turn over the records.
Trump’s 31-page filing argued that a further delay in releasing the tax returns would not harm the House panel.
“Even if the committee’s request were not fulfilled by the end of the current congressional term, it could carry over into later terms (as it already has) and inform the committee’s work then,” the filing said.
Trump further asserted he would suffer immediate “irreparable harm” if the tax documents were released to the panel.
“Disclosure to the government is itself an irreparable harm,” the filing said, adding that it “would be ‘naïve to reality’ to assume [Trump’s] information won’t promptly be disclosed to the public as well.”
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