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.
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USA — Political Trump, Democrats both hoped for big political wins in Supreme Court decisions...