Supreme Court to hear clash over Trump tax, bank records

Supreme Court is taking up President Donald Trump’s bid to keep his tax, bank and financial records private, a major clash over presidential accountability that could affect  2020 presidential campaign.

justices are to hear arguments by telephone Tuesday morning in two cases about subpoenas from congressional committees and Manhattan district attorney. court, where six justices are 65 or older, has been meeting by phone because of  coronavirus pandemic.

Rulings against president could le to campaign season release of personal financial information that Trump has kept shielded from investigators and public.

cases resemble earlier disputes over presidents’ assertions that y were too consumed with job of running country to worry about lawsuits and investigations. In 1974, justices acted unanimously in requiring President Richard Nixon to turn over White House tapes to Watergate special prosecutor. In 1997, ar unanimous court allowed a sexual harassment lawsuit to go forward against President Bill Clinton.

In those cases, three Nixon appointees and two Clinton appointees, respectively, voted against president who chose m for high court. current court has two Trump appointees, Justices

Appellate courts in Washington and New York have ruled that documents should be turned over, but those rulings have been put on hold pending a final court ruling. appellate decisions brushed aside president’s bro arguments, focusing on fact that subpoenas were dressed to third parties asking for records of Trump’s business and financial dealings as a private citizen, t as president.

House committees want records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One, as well as Mazars USA accounting firm. Mazars also is recipient of a subpoena from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Two congressional committees subpoenaed bank documents as part ir investigations into Trump and his businesses. Deutsche Bank has been one for few banks willing to lend to Trump after a series of corporate bankruptcies and defaults starting in early 1990s.

Vance and House Oversight and Reform Committee sought records from Mazars concerning Trump and his businesses based on payments that Trump’s n-personal lawyer,

Trump sued to block subpoenas. He is being represented by personal lawyers at Supreme Court, and Justice Department is supporting high-court appeal.