The Supreme Court just expedited the handover of Donald Trump’s tax returns
When the Supreme Court ruled that the lower court was correct to order the handover of Donald Trump’s tax returns to a New York grand jury, it didn’t mean they were automatically handed over. The court process still has to play out where the lower court enforces its original ruling.
The courts tend to move at a glacially slow speed. But today the Supreme Court moved to expedite the implementation of its ruling on Trump’s tax returns, moving things up by two weeks. When you combine this with the fact that the judge who originally ruled in the case has been hot to trot all week to get things finalized and finished, it points to New York prosecutors getting their hands on Trump’s tax returns sooner rather than later.
One curious thing here: Donald Trump’s lawyers didn’t even bother objecting to the Supreme Court’s decision to expedite the process. At this point minor stalling tactics are all that Trump’s side has left in terms of trying to delay the inevitable. But in this instance they’re not even trying. Perhaps Trump’s lawyers concluded that the Supreme Court would have overruled any objection anyway.
In any case, let’s not forget that grand juries only exist for the purpose of criminally indicting people. The fact that this grand jury subpoenaed Donald Trump’s tax returns means that it’s in the process of indicting Trump on state charges. We have no way of knowing if this will happen before or after the election. But if Trump loses, one way or the other he’s going to prison.
