Trump loses yet another case in court.

[JimL]

Trump loses appeal to stop New York State from investigating his tax returns.

http://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/4/trump-...urns-case.html

[Cow Poke]

Trump loses appeal of New York tax returns case

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump’s tax returns must be turned over to a state grand jury.

The three-judge appeals panel in New York rejected Trump’s argument that he is immune as president from criminal investigation while in the White House.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is seeking Trump’s corporate and personal tax returns from his accounting firm Mazars as part of a criminal investigation. Trump sued to block the subpoena that Vance’s office sent to Mazars in September.

The panel of judges on the U.S. Second Circuit of Appeals predicted during oral arguments last month that Trump’s lawyers are all but certain to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. If Trump stands down from the legal fight, Mazars will have to hand over the documents sought by the New York DA.

Lawyers for Trump had argued that the U.S. president has absolute immunity during his time in office that protects him from an investigation into conduct before he took office. One of the president’s attorneys, William Consovoy, had argued before the judges that Trump could shoot another person on Fifth Avenue in New York City and not be subject to arrest and prosecution until after he left office.

The appeals panel ruled that presidential immunity should be interpreted more narrowly.

“Any presidential immunity from state criminal process does not extend to investigative steps like the grand jury subpoena at issue here,” the panel wrote.

Vance is investigating, at the very least, how the Trump Organization accounted for hush money payments made to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump years ago. Trump has denied the affairs.

One of those women, porn star Stormy Daniels, was paid $130,000 by Trump’s then-personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who later was reimbursed by Trump.

The other woman, Playboy model Karen McDougal, was paid $150,000 by the Trump-friendly publisher of The National Enquirer supermarket tabloid. Both payments were made shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen pleaded guilty last year to several crimes, including campaign finance violations in connection with facilitating the payments to Daniels and McDougals.

Cohen, who is currently serving a three-year federal criminal sentence, is cooperating with Vance’s investigation.

[Mountain Man]

The bigger issue is that this is clearly a fishing expedition. They don't have probable cause to think Trump committed a crime and are seeking evidence to solidify the case; rather, they are fishing for anything they can find to accuse him of a crime in the first place.

[JimL]

The bigger issue is that this is clearly a fishing expedition. They don't have probable cause to think Trump committed a crime and are seeking evidence to solidify the case; rather, they are fishing for anything they can find to accuse him of a crime in the first place.

They're seeking evidence to solidify what case, MM?

[RumTumTugger]

They're seeking evidence to solidify what case, MM?

Exactly, JimL what case? No probable cause to even think there was a crime much less that Trump committed it.

[Cow Poke]

The bigger issue is that this is clearly a fishing expedition. They don't have probable cause to think Trump committed a crime and are seeking evidence to solidify the case; rather, they are fishing for anything they can find to accuse him of a crime in the first place.

Regardless, it appears his only option now is to appeal to SCOTUS.

[oxmixmudd]

The bigger issue is that this is clearly a fishing expedition. They don't have probable cause to think Trump committed a crime and are seeking evidence to solidify the case; rather, they are fishing for anything they can find to accuse him of a crime in the first place.

They don't have probable cause ...

[Mountain Man]

They don't have probable cause ...

It's no laughing matter. Remember, if they can deny the President of the United States due process, then what's to stop them from doing it to you? What they're doing to Trump should send a chill down the spine of every US citizen.

[oxmixmudd]

It's no laughing matter. Remember, if they can deny the President of the United States due process, then what's to stop them from doing it to you? What they're doing to Trump should send a chill down the spine of every US citizen.

He is not being denied due process. He's made his bed and it's just catching up to him. He's broken so may laws, cut so many corners, it's bound to catch up sooner or later. The really weird thing is that people like you and rogue can be convinced there isn't probably cause. "I'm innocent (checks with his latest fixer lawyer) - no, really!"

What criminal doesn't claim they are innocent, the police are out to get them, "I've been framed I tell ya FRAMED".

It's really nutsy crazy so many people have let this con pull the wool over their eyes.

[JimL]

It's no laughing matter. Remember, if they can deny the President of the United States due process, then what's to stop them from doing it to you? What they're doing to Trump should send a chill down the spine of every US citizen.

Who is denying him due process, he's obviously guilty of campaign finance fraud, is under investigation for that, and his tax returns are part of NY states investigation into that already obvious fraud. There is no denial of due process. Trump, the wannabe dictator, is simply arguing in court that because he is the sitting President, he is beyond the reach of the law, can't be investigated, for anything.