When a person accused of a crime goes to great lengths to cover up evidence, it usually means that they’re guilty. As the only president in modern history to refuse to release his taxes, Donald Trump is still trying to go around the Supreme Court’s decision that he’s not above the law and can be charged with a crime. That’s not the actions of an innocent man.
On Manhattan’s district attorney seeking Pres. Trump’s tax returns, @neal_katyal says, “There’s a reason why Trump is pushing back on it so much and I don’t think it’s because the documents show that he’s innocent.”https://t.co/6K2a1BZ9vG
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 4, 2020
On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Trump’s lawyers are still trying to get the federal judge to keep tax documents needed to investigate the crime of campaign fraud, which came to light in the testimony by Trump’s former attorney and “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Cohen said under oath that he paid off adult film star and director Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an extramarital affair she had with Trump and that the Trump Organization reimbursed him after the election. No mention of that payment is listed on the Trump campaign’s reporting of donations although financial assistance given to a candidate that benefits them in a campaign is considered a donation regardless of whether or not Cohen handed money over the Trump campaign.
According to Bloomberg:
‘President Donald Trump urged a judge to block a New York grand jury from reviewing his tax filings and disputed a suggestion by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. that the panel may be looking into bank and insurance fraud by the Trump Organization.’
NEW: Attorneys for Manhattan DA suggested that the president's company was under investigation for alleged insurance and bank fraud, as they argued Monday that President Trump should be forced to comply with a subpoena for his tax documents. https://t.co/RZnG7tc7f7
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 3, 2020
Although the Supreme Court has already ruled that Trump must comply with document subpoenas in a criminal court because he’s not a king who’s above the law, Trump’s lawyers are still withholding tax documents relevant to the case. On Monday, they argued in court once again about the requests for the documents.
‘Lawyers for Trump filed court papers on Monday opposing a request by Vance that a federal judge in Manhattan throw out the president’s latest bid to block the subpoena to his accounting firm, Mazars USA. Vance is investigating hush-money payments made before the 2016 presidential election to Stormy Daniels, a porn actress who claims she had an affair with Trump, and possibly other matters related to the Trump Organization. Trump has denied the affair.’
This is really significant. Although unclear why Vance couldn’t/didn’t get Trump’s tax returns through DB, which almost certainly would have them. https://t.co/xNrTwTGHQA
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) August 6, 2020
The Trump administration is also concerned about statements made by SDNY Prosecutor Cy Vance, who has indicated that campaign fraud may be the least of Donald Trump’s worries. Cohen said under oath that Trump would purposely inflate the value of his properties on loan documents but reported them at a much lower value than on his tax returns. That constitutes two felonies, two of which Michael Cohen served time for committing on behalf of the president.
‘In a filing last week, Vance suggested there might be grounds to look at potential fraud by the Trump Organization beyond the Stormy Daniels payment, citing newspaper articles and court records filed earlier in the case. In Monday’s filing, Trump’s team took issue with his implication of a wider investigation.’
A federal judge in New York has ruled that Trump can't stop his accountants, Mazars USA LLP, from turning over his taxes and other financial documents to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., Bloomberg News reports. https://t.co/KJZZfIlTV7
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 7, 2019
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
