On Thursday, attorneys for President Donald Trump were back in federal court, arguing that even though the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that their client must hand over eight years of his tax returns to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, the president still considers the subpoena for his taxes to be overly broad.
That argument, however, did not sit well with U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero, who was reported to be frustrated by yet another delay from the president’s attorneys, according to The Daily Beast:
“In the video hearing, Marrero hinted that he had already addressed the president’s concerns last October and only new information would change his mind.”
One of the president’s lawyers, William Consovoy, repeatedly argued that prosecutors were requesting far too much information, apparently seeking to argue a case that has already been decided by the highest court in the country:
“He said Trump ‘is still reviewing the subpoena’ and his team has not yet decided what arguments they plan to raise in an amended complaint against Vance’s request. Calling the legal action a ‘fishing expedition,’ Consovoy argued Trump was ‘a target for political reasons.'”
Assistant District Attorney Carey Dunne easily countered Consovoy’s argument, noting that the real reason the president’s counsel continue to obstruct the court process is simple:
“What the president’s lawyer is seeking here is delay.”
At the end of the hearing, Judge Marrero made it clear he wasn’t about to allow for that delay, as Jennifer Taub, of the Western New England University School of Law, reported as she followed the hearing:
What this means:
Trump has until July 27th (a week from Monday to file an amended complaint).
Presumably, Vance will then file a motion to dismiss.
And final briefs due by August 14th.
43/43
— Jennifer Taub (@jentaub) July 16, 2020
Neal Katyal, the former acting solicitor general in the Obama administration, agreed with Taub, adding that Judge Marrero is wasting no time getting the returns to the Manhattan DA:
Phenomenal thread about what the court did today in the Trump tax returns case in Manhattan. This is moving quickly. Briefing all done in under a month. https://t.co/WYGAhr1NLG
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) July 16, 2020
By the middle of August, Vance’s office should be in possession of eight years of Donald Trump’s tax returns. And that means indictments against the president could be handed down by as soon as the end of August or early September. In other words, this entire matter still has the potential to further incriminate and humiliate Trump right in the middle of his reelection campaign.