Secrecy of Trump's taxes, financial records on the line in Supreme Court arguments. US supreme court tackles politics’ most tantalising my

House committees and a N.Y. prosecutor want to get their hands on the president's documents in twin blockbuster cases on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's lawyers will urge the Supreme Court on Tuesday to let him block access to his tax returns and other financial documents sought by three congressional committees and a New York prosecutor.

In one of the most closely watched disputes of the court's term, the cases will test the justices' independence and could yield major rulings on the power of Congress to demand documents from a sitting president — or the authority of a president to refuse.

The court will hear the two separate cases by telephone conference call with each justice taking a turn to ask questions, a process that began May 4 and for the most part has worked smoothly, despite a toilet flushing faux pas. It has, however, tamed the normal back and forth of oral argument, and the questioning has been less aggressive. Live audio of the argument will be available on C-SPAN.

Whichever way the court rules, the decisions — there will be one for each case — will be a blockbuster. The rulings will probably be released by late next month.

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The president’s tax documents have been reported on by various outlets, even winning the New York Times a Pulitzer

The US supreme court is in its second week of working by telephone during the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday it will hear the highest-profile arguments so far presented remotely: regarding the release, or not, of Donald Trump’s tax returns.

When Trump ran for president in 2016, he bucked tradition by refusing to release such information. Saying he was under audit, which would not in fact have precluded action, he promised to release his returns in due course. He has not.

Details of the president’s tax affairs have been reported by various outlets, the New York Times winning a Pulitzer in 2019 for a wide-ranging investigation which the prize committee said “debunked [Trump’s] claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges”.


Trump asks supreme court to block release of his tax returns
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But Trump’s taxes remain one of the most tantalising mysteries in American politics.

On Tuesday, the supreme court will hear cases originating in Congress and New York state. Both seek records from Mazars USA, Trump’s accountants.

Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, want access to the Republican president’s tax returns, records and financial statements, to see if he is violating constitutional safeguards and federal ethics laws by benefiting financially from his occupation of the White House via his business empire.

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