Divided U.S. Supreme Court wraps up arguments on Trump financial records

[BaronChocula]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared divided over President Donald Trump’s bid to prevent Democratic-led congressional panels from obtaining his financial records but seemed more sympathetic toward a New York prosecutor’s attempt to access similar records.

The court’s conservative majority signaled concern about improper harassment of the Republican president by Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives seeking Trump’s records. But questions by the conservative justices indicated skepticism toward Trump’s position in the New York case.

The justices asked tough questions of an attorney for Trump and a Justice Department lawyer who both sought to justify the president’s quest to block subpoenas by three House for financial records held by third parties.

But several justices also pressed a lawyer for the House to explain why the subpoenas were not simply presidential harassment and whether Congress should be limited in issuing subpoenas so as to not distract a president or frustrate the carrying out of his official duties.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump-finances/divided-u-s-supreme-court-wraps-up-arguments-on-trump-financial-records-idUSKBN22O1F0

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Probing Trump's financial improprieties related to scandals underway during his Administration is not harassment.

[flibbitygiblets]

1. "distract a president or frustrate the carrying out of his official duties"? S.e.r.i.o.u.s.l.y.

We're talking about the guy who spends his days retweeting celebrity gossip and thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories. Distraction is his normal operating mode.

[KS Toronado]

18. The House lawyers could have used your help today.....Excellent Reply

[NoRoadUntravelled]

27. Well stated!

[DeminPennswoods]

30. Hope the Dems' atty replied that in Jones v Clinton

the Justices ruled it was not a distraction for a president to be sued, deposed, etc for acts he committed before being elected president.

[Grins]

2. "Supreme Court justices...appeared divided."

Translation: we’re hosed.

There is no law in America. It’s over. Packing the courts with Reich-wing, radical, “activist” judges has worked.

[mahina]

8. Please stop

[ArizonaLib]

3. Checks and balances?

Over site as explicitly described in the constitution can be interpreted as harassment? Why didn't Rehnquist freak out over this when the examination of the president's DNA in a dress was before congress?

[BComplex]

4. THIS is why I'm critical of Joe Biden ads. When you play softball against people hurtling IED's,

you're going to get hosed.

The lawyer the house sent to argue the case did a terrible job. Way soft, way whimpy. That's how we got these supreme court justices; democrats are so willing to play nice with a group who is out for the jugular. If we don't start throwing down on them, this will only get worse.

[PNW-Dem]

15. Biden open to a Repub VP

Amen to that. It really fries me to think that Biden would consider a Republican VP. Didn’t they learn during the Obama years that it doesn’t pay to reach across the aisle unless you use a fist.

[Evolve Dammit]

17. I'm also deeply concerned (Susan Collins) that he would consider a Rethug. They are not the answer.

Obama reached across the aisle for years and they basically spit at him.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

26. Seriously? I hadn't heard that. Does he WANT to lose?

Why doesn't he just say he'll name Pence as VP? Or Susan Collins, since he's committed to a woman VP.

Please tell me he didn't say that, even as a joke...

Now is the time the Democrats should go nuclear and wipe the Trump/Republican Party scourge from the face of the Earth, once and for all.

[NoRoadUntravelled]

29. That's a disturbing thought with the VP being just a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

[KPN]

32. What?! Link please.

[PNW-Dem]

38. Biden says he's open to a Republican running mate

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/biden-says-he-s-open-republican-running-mate-n1108931

[Grins]

39. I hear Sarah Palin is available...

If Biden, who will be age 78 in January of 2021, does something as stupid as picking a Republican running mate we’re lost as a political party. Done. Kaput. Finished. I’m trying to imagine the furor at the DNC.

[TheFourthMind]

5. What's the argument? To do or not do our jobs? n/t

[Stallion]

6. Former US Solicitor General Neal Katyl and George Conway Argue it was a Bad Day for Trump

especially with regard to the New York's prosecutors case-but they predicted a majority in each case

[sop]

7. A lawful subpoena is not harrassment, it's the only remedy when a president stonewalls and

obstructs every attempt at oversight and investigation.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Various Twitter accounts

Supreme Court arguments on Trump's efforts to shield tax returns, personal financial records suggest a mixed outcome. And that might not be the end of it.

Link to tweet

The Supreme Court's more than three-hour session over Trump’s tax returns, business records points to a mixed outcome.

Link to tweet

George Conway, Noble Committee Chair Retweeted

Opinion: Trump’s lawyers just made appalling arguments to the Supreme Court

Link to tweet

.
.
.

The oral argument was Clinton’s high-water mark, and I think the same is true of Trump’s cases today. The reason being that the Court takes hypothetical concerns about harms to the presidency seriously.

Link to tweet

But in the end, the Court’s deciding the case that is *actually* before it, which means Trump’s going to lose big, worse than most people may think, just as happened with Clinton 23 years ago.

Link to tweet

[StClone]

34. From the post: Trump's lawyers just made appalling arguments to the Supreme Court

I beg to differ: Many of the Supremos are his lawyers.

[BComplex]

36. Agree. Trump is going to get off really easy on the house subpoena. Manhattan might be a little

more harsh, but the majority of the supremes, including the Chief Justice, are his lawyers, and they take it really seriously. They are not patriots.

[Joinfortmill]

10. Doesn't sound too promising for Congressional oversight.

[BComplex]

37. Congressional oversight took a bad hit yesterday.

But since the supremes are in it for life, once the republicans go after a democratic president, the supremes will reverse themselves.

[Scarsdale]

11. "His presidential duties"??

What a JOKE! He shirked those by ignoring the coming virus disaster. Instead, he went golfing, and held rallies. One of those duties is the daily report that all other presidents read first thing each morning. tRump does not waddle into the Oval Office until noon, after a rough morning of watching Faux, getting his hair and makeup done. This presidential "job" is the best gig he, and his family ever had. Wholesale stealing from the US Treasury. He is NOT the "president", he is just a pretender who does not even try to appear competent. What a LOSER. If he really cared about this country, he would resign, blow the whistle on his butt licker Little Mikey, and let someone with BRAINS take over. Of course, the Not-So-Supreme Court will rule in his favor, since the gop stocked it with pansy assed republicans. What have they got to lose, they have jobs for life. Surely THEY could do the honest thing for once?

[SkatmanRoth]

12. Trump has lost the next election.

If his financials are examined by Congress, he will be shown for the liar he is.
If the SC hides his financials the voters will know what he is hiding is so serious he should be in jail, not the White House.

Either way, Trump is hosed by this case.

[former9thward]

23. Both the NY IRS and federal IRS have had his tax records and financial records for decades.

If there are crimes there why has there never been any action?

[SkatmanRoth]

24. Because he followed IRS law, but he is not telling us about his Russian connections

He owes money to loans from Russia, Saudi Arabia, and China. That is a risk to National Security - and he is hiding it.

[NotHardly]

13. HEY... if the rule of law is out for an office holder, it is out for the rest of us too

Good for the goose, good for the gander. Equality under the law and we all get an "Olie Olie Oxen Free" if this supposed Supreme Court gives it away to #45... all bets are off thereafter and any criminal charges brought by any LEO agency gets a good dose of "...so, to whom do the laws apply if they don't apply to all?"... let them play with that fight for the next 25 years and see how it tastes.

[ffr]

14. We need Joe Biden to replace these justices with justices, not political appointees.

Get everyone you know registered as a democrat.

and

GOTV.

[KPN]

33. And how would he do that?

[Polybius]

35. Sure, if they retire

n/t

[cstanleytech]

16. Any attempt to use claims of harassment regardless of their merits are immaterial as

the Constitution does not allow it as a defense by a President to refuse to obey a lawfully issued subpoena.
If it did then President Clinton could have told the Republicans to go fuck themselves over White Water and won.

[bucolic_frolic]

19. No tax records, no emoluments clause

Duh!

[lastlib]

20. They're so concerned about "improper harassment" of a president....

What they should be concerned with is *improper concealment of crime" BY a president.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

31. Who determines if something is "improper harassment"? That's right -- Herr Trump!

Speaking of which, when is harassment proper?

[Hulk]

21. It is really discouraging to see just how political the Supreme Court is

When you have such trash as Clarence Thomas and the two new idiots appointed by the orange nut sack, it's obvious it makes no difference on the legality of anything. They are simply political hacks and serve no purpose for justice whatsoever.

[DallasNE]

25. Only Looking At Political Aspects Of Subpoena

There is a law passed at the end of Tea Pot Dome that grants access to tax returns as a means of oversight over a possibly corrupt government official. How Trump handled $280,000 in hush money payments on his tax returns would look to fit this circumstance perfectly. There are also court orders on subpoenas issued as part of Whitewater that were enforced so there is also precedence. It sounds like none of that will matter as the court looks to be leaning that oversight is presidential harassment. Indeed, tax returns are things every presidential candidate has made public over the last 40 years except for Trump so how can it be considered presidential harassment. It is anything but unprecedented.

[NYC Liberal]

28. Seems to me that fighting a subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court

takes considerably more time and is far more "distracting" or "frustrating" than complying with it.

What does Trump even have to do to comply with a subpoena? In this case, literally nothing except give the OK for the documents to be released. That would take less time than rewriting his tweet five times to fix all the typos. It's not like they're demanding he testify for 10 hours.