The Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases Tuesday about whether President Donald Trump can block subpoenas for his financial and accounting records. The decisions could have enormous consequences for the November election.
The two disputes involve subpoenas from House Democrats and Manhattan district attorney Cy Vance. The Court’s conservative majority was suspicious of the House subpoena. Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to hold the deciding vote in the House case and seemed dubious of arguments from both sides. The justices seemed less troubled by the Vance subpoena but pressed attorneys about what threshold the DA should clear to obtain Trump’s records.
A split outcome may be in the offing, with the president prevailing over House Democrats but losing in the Vance dispute.
The decisions in Tuesday’s cases will have far-reaching political implications, potentially exposing huge swaths of Trump’s financial information that the president has thus far shielded from public view. Their disclosure in the months preceding the November election could produce a steady clip of unwelcome disclosures and news reports.
Both cases ask the Court to settle a power struggle between the president and outside investigators pressing for information, and victories for Trump would effectively insulate the personal lives of future presidents from state and congressional investigations. – READ MORE
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