The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s request for a preliminary injunction protecting him from a subpoena for his tax returns.
Trump had sued Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in September over a subpoena that was sent to Trump’s accounting company, Mazars USA, for eight years of tax returns.
They added, “Instead, after reviewing historical and legal precedent, we conclude only that presidential immunity does not bar the enforcement of a state grand jury subpoena directing a third party to produce non-privileged material, even when the subject matter under investigation pertains to the president.”
The ruling comes about two weeks after both sides appealed before the Second Court to argue their case.
“With the benefit of the district court’s well‐articulated opinion, we hold that any presidential immunity from state criminal process does not bar the enforcement of such a subpoena. Considering the foregoing, the president has neither demonstrated that he is likely to prevail on, nor raised sufficiently serious questions going to the merits of, his immunity claim, and so he is not entitled to preliminary injunctive relief,” the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals also wrote.
Vance, who is a Democrat, is conducting a probe into payments that Trump allegedly made before the 2016 election.
Amid the grappling over his tax returns, Trump said that what is happening to him is unprecedented.
In early October, the Department of Justice said in a court filing that it supports Trump’s suit looking for relief from a subpoena issued by Manhattan Attorney General Cyrus Vance over Trump’s tax returns.
Meanwhile, Mazars USA previously told The Epoch Times that it will comply with its legal obligations.
“We believe strongly in the ethical and professional rules and regulations that govern our industry, our work and our client interactions. As a matter of firm policy and professional rules we do not comment on the work we conduct for our clients,” it said.