A pair of Supreme Court decisions focused on whether President Donald Trump can shield his taxes from scrutiny handed his campaign a temporary reprieve Thursday, …
A pair of Supreme Court decisions focused on whether President Donald Trump can shield his taxes from scrutiny handed his campaign a temporary reprieve Thursday, even as Democrats signaled they might make an election-year issue out of the court’s warning that not even presidents are «above the law.»
The 7-2 decisions, both written by Chief Justice John Roberts, allowed Democrats to claim a legal victory: Trump, the court ruled, cannot withhold his tax returns and other financial records from prosecutors. But in practical terms, the rulings meant that the court battle over disclosure would continue – likely well past the Nov.3 election.
«While defeated on his claim that he is above the law, Trump is now beyond the law until after the November election,» said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. «He may not be able to outrun the law, but he is outrunning the clock – whining all the way.»
While both the White House and Democratic leaders seized on the cases as a win, neither side completely got what they wanted – limiting their ability to use the rulings as a political weapon. Democrats had sought a wholesale repudiation of Trump’s effort to block congressional subpoenas; Trump wanted the court to curb subpoenas in a potentially embarrassing hush-money investigation.
In the end, the court handed down a pair of nuanced decisions that didn’t break along traditional ideological lines and left many questions in legal limbo.
«The ‘no one is above the law line’ from the Supreme Court is going to make a nice ad for Biden,» said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist. «But the sad reality from this decision is that absent a stunning turn of events, the American public is not going to be able to see his tax returns before the election, which is outrageous.»
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
