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The Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch bid by former President Donald Trump to keep his financial records, including years of his tax returns, out of the hands of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
The decision, the second time the nation’s highest court has refused to block a grand jury subpoena for those confidential records, was announced in an order with no noted dissents. The news further imperils the ex-president, who is facing investigations in New York and elsewhere.
The ruling is a bitter loss for Trump, even if the tax records are shielded from public disclosure after he consistently argued that the subpoena issued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance was overbroad and issued in bad faith.
It means that the grand jury investigation into alleged hush-money payments and other issues will no longer be hampered by Trump’s fight to keep the documents secret. According to people familiar with the matter, the district attorney’s office is expected to have access to the records within the next few days.
Vance’s probe originally appeared to have been focused on hush-money payments made on Trump’s behalf to two women who have said they had affairs with him. Trump has denied their claims, but court records and news reports suggest prosecutors are now examining more serious allegations.
A court filing last summer by Vance indicated that the probe could be eyeing possible “insurance and bank fraud by the Trump Organization and its officers.” In another filing, a month later, prosecutors suggested they might be investigating Trump for potential tax crimes.
