Executive Power

Federal judges in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that President Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA LLP, must hand over eight years of financial documents pursuant to a subpoena filed by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. The court held that presidential immunity from state criminal processes should not extend to investigative steps. The ruling can be found here and below.

More information is coming out in the media about the whistleblower complaint that Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire blocked the inspector general of the intelligence community (ICIG) from transmitting to the congressional intelligence committees. If the speculation is accurate, Maguire’s actions, and the legal defense of those actions by Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) General Counsel Jason Klitenic, may have a firmer legal foundation than has so far been apparent.

Recent moves and countermoves by the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf over the past few months have increased speculation about the prospect of war in the region. Some members of Congress, including a few Republicans, have stated that the president cannot use military force against the Islamic Republic without the approval of the legislature.

President Trump filed a lawsuit against the House Committee on Ways and Means, New York State’s attorney general and the state’s tax commissioner on Tuesday, to block the release of multiple years of his state tax returns. Trump filed this suit “in his capacity as a private citizen” after the Ways and Means Committee sued the Treasury Department for his tax returns.