Appeals court OKs subpoena of Trump’s tax returns

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s ongoing attempt to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns will likely last through the Nov. 3 election. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled Trump had to comply with Vance’s subpoena. But the president’s lawyers will likely appeal to the Supreme Court. If so, the ruling prevents Vance from actually obtaining the documents until the justices have heard the arguments. The New York Times reported last month that Trump only paid $750 per year in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.

Why did the court decide in Vance’s favor? The judges rejected the argument from Trump’s lawyers that the subpoena was a “fishing expedition” and a political stunt. “We hold that none of the president’s allegations, taken together or separately, are sufficient to raise a plausible inference that the subpoena was issued ‘out of malice or an intent to harass,’” they said.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report on the legal battle over Trump’s tax records.