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Trump, Manhattan DA Reach Temporary Accord on Tax Subpoena

Trump, Manhattan DA Reach Temporary Agreement on Tax Subpoena

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump’s attorneys reached a temporary agreement with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance delaying the deadline for Mazars USA LLP, Trump’s accountants, to comply with a subpoena for his taxes and for other financial papers.

The deal calls for Mazars to continue gathering documents responsive to the subpoena and provides for it to begin turning them over to state prosecutors on Oct. 7 or two days after a judge rules on Trump’s request to block the subpoena, whichever comes first.

The lawyers informed the court of their agreement in a letter filed Thursday afternoon.

In a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero heard Trump’s legal team argue that the president, his companies and business associates have broad constitutional immunity from criminal investigation.

Lawyers from Vance’s office told Marrero that the prosecutors are required by law and by legal ethics rules to keep the contents of the documents confidential. They’re investigating whether Trump’s businesses may have created false business records connected to hush-money payments coordinated by Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to porn star Stormy Daniels and to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Mazars took no position in the dispute, saying it will comply with whatever the court orders.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department notified the judge that it may intervene in the case on Trump’s behalf. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman had asked Marrero to postpone a ruling until the department decides, claiming the case raises “a number of significant constitutional issues that potentially implicate the interests of the United States.”

Marrero gave the government until Monday to inform him whether it intends to do so and until Oct. 2 to file a formal request.

The case is Trump v. Vance, 19-cv-08694, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Van Voris in federal court in Manhattan at rvanvoris@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Heather Smith at hsmith26@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg, Steve Stroth

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