Trump not protected from grand jury subpoena – rules Manhattan District Attorney

Cyrus Vance, Manhattan District Attorney, has said that President Trump does not have any special protection from subpoena issued by grand jury for his tax return.

While disclosing this on Friday August 14, 2020, Vance said that because Mr. Trump is the nation’s President does exempt him from attending the subpoena.

He however said that Mr. Trump could enjoy protection from the subpoena only if it was going to interfere with his duties as the president.

The ruling was given in response to Mr. Trump’s lawyer’s argument that the President should enjoy special protection from subpoena which he said was harassment.

The District Attorney in a subpoena issued last August on Mr. Trump’s Mazars USA, an accounting firm, demanded personal and business returns, including other documents.

Meanwhile in July, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump was not immune from state criminal probe and that a New York prosecutor can obtain his financial records.

Unsatisfied with the ruling, Mr. Trump filed what was his latest challenge to the subpoena of the grand jury last month.

President Trump has earlier claimed that the subpoena was issued in bad faith, a claim rejected by Vance calling it unreasonable and incredible.

He also rejected another claim by Mr. Trump about a 2016 payments made by Michael Cohen, his former lawyer. Mr. Trump said the investigation by the jury only concerned the payment.

Similarly, Carey Dunne, general counsel for Cyrus Vance, rejected a motion by Mr. Trump lawyers saying that Mr. Trump should not be entitled to additional information about the probe.

Meanwhile last month, Dunne warned Victor Marrero, the U.S. District Judge against delays that could kill the case given the approaching deadline for crimes prosecution.