Trump just petitioned the Supreme Court to shield his tax returns from federal prosecutors, in a test of separation-of-powers

Associated Press

President Donald Trump waves as he departs on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019, in Washington, for a campaign rally in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

• President Donald Trump's personal lawyers filed a petition to the Supreme Court, setting up a potential showdown between the two branches of government and putting the "separation-of-powers" precedent to the test.
• The filing lists Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. as the respondent; Vance is attempting to enforce a grand jury subpoena to obtain eight years of Trump's tax records.
• The petition, which was obtained by The Washington Post, argues that Trump is protected under "presidential immunity." Vance has rejected the president's claim to immunity in the investigation, saying that the president is attempting to "invent and enforce a new presidential 'tax return privilege.'"
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President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court Thursday to shield his tax returns from investigation by federal prosecutors.

Trump's personal lawyers filed a petition to the Supreme Court, setting up a potential showdown between the two branches of government.

The filing lists Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. as the respondent; Vance is attempting to enforce a grand jury subpoena to obtain eight years of Trump's tax records.

The petition, which was obtained by The Washington Post, argues that Trump is protected under "presidential immunity" from state criminal investigations.

Thursday's petition also describes the subpoena as "highly intrusive to the president, as it seeks nearly a decade of his sensitive financial records."

"Politically motivated subpoenas like this one are a perfect illustration of why a sitting President should be categorically immune from state criminal process," the petition stated.

Vance has rejected the president's claim to immunity in the investigation, saying that the president is attempting to "invent and enforce a new presidential 'tax return privilege,'" and "no such privilege exists in the law," he said, citing a report by The Post.

The request is part of the Manhattan District Attorney's investigation into alleged 2016 hush-money payments to women who have claimed to have had affairs with Trump. The president has denied any wrongdoing and denied having affairs with those women.

• Read more:
• Legal experts say Trump's last-ditch effort to hide his taxes is 'untenable,' and we could see them as soon as next year
• Newly uncovered tax documents show Trump kept '2 sets of books' and may have committed financial fraud
• The House Ways and Means Committee is suing the IRS to get Trump's tax returns