On July 9, the US Supreme Court has ruled that US President Donald Trump's financial records can be examined by the prosecutors in New York, which is the state where his businesses are located.
Tax records
Although the financial records can be seen by prosecutors, the court ruled that it does not have to be seen by Congress. President Trump has been by the public since the start of his presidential campaign because he refuses to show his tax returns.
Trump's lawyers had argued that President Trump should have immunity while he is in office and that Congress does not have any valid reason to seek his financial records, as reported by BBC.
The House of Representatives committees, which are controlled by Democrats, and the New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who is also a Democrat, has demanded that President Trump show his tax documents in order to know whether the current conflict-of-interest laws on a US president were tough enough.
President Trump, a Republican, denies any wrongdoing and he has called the investigation a witch hunt. He wrote in a series of tweets after the court rulings that the Supreme Court sends the case back to Lower Court, and that arguments are to continue. He added that what the Supreme Court is doing now is a political prosecution.
The meaning of the ruling
According to The Guardian, the Supreme Court ruled 7:2 that President Donald Trump does not have immunity from criminal investigation, despite what Trump's lawyers insisted.
The court stated that 200 years ago, the US Court was established and its jurist is that no citizen is above the duty to show any evidence when they have a criminal proceeding, and that includes the President.
The two cases regarding the committees in the Congress were watched. It showed how US lawmakers could follow the activities of a sitting President. According to the Supreme Court, Congress had the power to request for Trump's personal information, but the said power has limits, as reported by CNN.
The importance of Trump's tax returns
The House Intelligence had been asking Deutsche Bank and Mazars USA, President Trump's accounting firms, to show his tax and financial documents. The committees stated that they need the records to know whether current conflict-of-interest laws on a US president were rigorous.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance had argued that President Trump's documents were needed to know if financial records had been doctored in order to cover up under the table payments and hush-money payments to two women back in 2016 who claimed they had affairs with President Trump.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that she would continue to go after Trump's financial records to be handed over to Congress. She told reporters that Congress will continue to conduct oversight for the people, upholding the separation of powers that is the core of the US constitution.
However, it is still not clear whether the Congress will be able to see Trump's tax returns. Even if President Trump's financial records are turned over to prosecutors in New York, they may remain hidden from public view until charges are filed.
