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Trump Sues Manhattan D.A. To Keep Tax Returns Hidden
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 19, 2019
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VANESSA CARVALHO/SHUTTERSTOCK
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 19, 2019
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President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance on Thursday, claiming there are "significant constitutional issues" that prevent the president from disclosing his personal and corporate tax returns.
The suit comes on the heels of the Manhattan D.A.'s recently-revived investigation into the Trump organization's illegal hush-money payments to multiple women during the 2016 campaign. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Manhattan D.A.'s office had subpoenaed Trump's accounting firm, Mazars USA, for federal and state tax documents dating back to 2011.
An attorney for the president, Jay Sekulow, said that the lawsuit seeks to address unspecified constitutional issues raised by Vance's inquiry.
"In response to the subpoenas issued by the New York County District Attorney, we have filed a lawsuit this morning in Federal Court on behalf of the President in order to address the significant constitutional issues at stake in this case," he said in a statement.
The suit is the latest salvo in an escalating battle to unearth the president's long-sought financial documents, which are believed to contain insight into his sprawling, sketchy business empire. After New York lawmakers passed legislation this summer that would allow members of Congress to request Trump's state returns, the president attempted to bring the matter before a federal judge—whom he'd appointed.
Lawyers with the New York Attorney General's Office have argued that he should have to fight the law in state court, and the matter remains tied up in court.
Meanwhile, House Democrats have mounted a wide-ranging effort to obtain the president's taxes, with little success so far. Several lawmakers now say that it's unlikely to happen before the 2020 election, if at all.
Trump has pledged to fight any subpoena issued by Congress, and his chief of staff has stated that Democrats will "never" get their hands on the president's tax returns.
A spokesperson for Cy Vance's office said the office had "received the plaintiff’s complaint and will respond as appropriate in court."
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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