By Ayaan Ali
New York City, New York
On February 22, the Supreme Court denied President Donald Trump’s petition to block the release of his finances in a court order. The Court’s decision allows New York prosecutors to investigate Trump’s records for any possible evidence of financial crimes including tax evasion. This decision comes after a widely read report from The New York Times, which found that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes during his first year as president. Chief Justice John G. Roberts wrote in a majority opinion that “[n]o citizen, not even the President, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding.” However, in his dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with “the majority that the President is not entitled to absolute immunity from issuance of the subpoena, [but]... he may be entitled to relief against its enforcement.” Trump perceived the decision as politically driven and called it “a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country.” He also maintained his innocence and said that his taxes were filed by “the biggest and most prestigious law and accounting firms in the U.S.”
In August 2019, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr issued a grand jury subpoena towards Trump’s accountancy firm, Mazars U.S.A. The firm has since claimed that it is “committed to fulfilling all of our professional and legal obligations.” Aside from Trump’s personal tax returns, Vance will now have access to business records of the Trump Organization and all communication between the organization and its accountants. Due to grand jury secrecy statutes, the district attorney’s office will not be handing over the financial records to Congress or publicizing them. There is still a chance, however, for the records to be submitted as evidence in a potential insurance and tax fraud trial. Former assistant Manhattan District Attorney Anne Milgram said, “Trump will not be given deference as a former president [and] he has the same rights as others in the state. Neither more nor less.”
