Trump Can’t Block Grand Jury Subpoena for Tax Returns, Appeals Court Rules
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Trump cannot block enforcement of a New York grand jury subpoena for eight years of his tax returns.
The ruling, which affirmed a lower court decision, sets the stage for an almost certain appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. have been embroiled in a bitter legal dispute since August 2019, when Vance’s office subpoenaed the tax returns and other financial records from the accounting firm Mazars USA.
The subpoena is part of an investigation into Trump and his business practices, but the president has consistently argued the sweep of the investigation is overly broad and the subpoena issued in bad faith.
Vance has not revealed much about the criminal investigation, citing grand jury secrecy, however published reports have said he is looking at a range of potential crimes, including falsification of business records and fraud.
The decision marks the fifth time courts have rejected the president’s attempts to block the subpoena. Vance has said he will not move to enforce the subpoena for the next two weeks to give Trump’s lawyers time to file their Supreme Court appeal.
