US judge orders Trump’s accountants to hand over tax records to Senate
A US judge has ordered Donald Trump’s accountants to hand over some of the former president’s tax records to a House of Representatives committee.
District judge Amit Mehta today ruled that Mazars must provide documents related to Trump’s hotel in Washington DC, saying the committee had proved it needed them to evaluate potential legislation and conduct government oversight.
But the judge did not allow politicians to scrutinise disclosure forms that the former president submitted to the government outlining his assets and liabilities.
Mehta said he was “left wondering about the necessity (or even unique usefulness) of President Trump’s personal papers”.
The ruling comes in a long-running lawsuit brought by the Democrat-controlled House Oversight Committee, which first issued a subpoena for Trump’s financial records in 2019.
The case had moved to the Supreme Court, where judges said House Democrats needed to provide further evidence about why they needed the records.
Unlike other recent presidents, Trump refused to release his tax returns and other documents that could provide details on his personal wealth and that of his family company, the Trump Organization.
The Trump Organization and its longtime financial chief Allen Weisselberg have been charged with tax fraud and falsifying business records. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has separately obtained Trump’s tax returns, but due to confidentiality rules they may not be released to the public.