Oral arguments before the Supreme Court began today for three cases involving con man and fraudster Donald "Individual-1" Trump's taxes and financial dealings. If the Court rules against him, it would mean the public will have a first-time look at not only his tax returns, but the sketchy business he's been doing for decades with foreign lenders, after American banks closed the door on loaning to him. Trump is the plaintiff in all three cases, seeking to hide his business and financial records from view by Congressional oversight committees, and the State of New York, where his organization in located.
Two of the cases have been consolidated: Trump v. Mazars and Trump v. Deutsche Bank. Both entities have documentation of Trump's tax returns and accounting, and his foreign financial dealings. The third is a State of New York suit, Trump v. Vance, which relates to the hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal so that they wouldn't disclose their affairs with Trump. All will revolve around the question of whether a sitting President is required to answer lawful Congressional and State grand jury subpoenas and is, in effect, above the law while serving.
With the likes of Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh on the bench, there's no guarantee that Trump will be held accountable. Trump's nemesis, conservative lawyer and unfortunate husband of Trumpbot Kellyanne, George Conway, had an op-ed the other day in the Washington Post arguing it should be an easy decision against Trump:
"To say Trump’s argument is frivolous demeans frivolity. Clinton v. Jones dictates the result: The subpoenaed documents have nothing to do with Trump’s presidential duties — zip. That alone does it.
But Trump’s case is even weaker than Clinton’s. At least Clinton was being sued personally. He ultimately had to give evidence himself, which he did (infamously) at a deposition. But because the suit had nothing to do with presidential duties, the Supreme Court said it could proceed.
Here, Trump hasn’t been charged with or sued for anything. He’s not being required to do anything. The subpoenas have been directed at his company and his accountants. They don’t require his time or attention.
Trump’s position stupefies. In essence: Authorities can’t investigate anything touching his personal affairs — including, ahem, payments to pornographic actresses — because he’s president. Think of the logic: Not only does the president enjoy a personal constitutional immunity — his businesses do, too." (our emphasis)We suspect that the matters that Trump is desperately trying to hide from the public are illegal in nature, and could range from bank and wire fraud (falsifying financial records to obtain loans), tax evasion, and in the case of the notorious Deutsche Bank, money laundering involving politicians and criminal elements in Russia and elsewhere. This election, for him, is a temporary "get out of jail" card, and it's why he's cracking up seeing it slip away.
BONUS: Ian Millhiser is live tweeting the oral arguments. He thinks the House's attorney is blowing it big time. ("This is a trainwreck.") Trump's ranting mouthpiece Jay Sekulow isn't faring much better, and the New York District Attorney's representative is cleaning up a bit after the House attorney's mess.
