Government shutdown was avoided this time around when President Trump signed two spending bills that will fund the federal government until September 2020, the rest of the fiscal year. The $1.4 trillion budget deal included wins and compromises for both parties, policy changes wanted by both parties, and the inevitable odd tidbits slipped in to … [Read more...]
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Hide Tax Returns From Federal Investigation
President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to shield his tax returns from a criminal investigation. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. issued a subpoena for eights years of Trump’s tax records. According to Business Insider, Trump’s lawyers say he is protected under “presidential immunity.” They also said the subpoena is … [Read more...]
Trump New York and DC Tax Cases Heading for the Supreme Court
New Presidential contender and former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, told a crowd of cheering delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, “I know a con man when I see one.” Bloomberg’s words are about to be vindicated, as appeals courts in both Washington, DC, and New York last week rejected Trump’s requests that they block … [Read more...]
‘Panama Papers’ Law Firm Doesn’t Want Anyone To See Upcoming Netflix Film
Mossack Fonseca is the Panamanian law firm at the center of the “Panama Papers” scandal. According to Reuters, the firm has filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against Netflix, accusing the video streaming heavyweight of defamation. Netflix is about to release a new movie based on the case. Mossack Fonseca is seeking to stop it. The … [Read more...]
Donald Trump’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, CC 2.0) Things move fast in Donald Trump's Washington. When the calendar turned to September, impeachment seemed like a dead letter. With Democratic leadership in Congress staunchly opposed to the idea, public opinion polls showing Americans mostly against impeachment and the White House successfully obstructing … [Read more...]
Judge Blocks Trump Request To Keep Taxes Secret
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by President Trump to block a subpoena for his tax returns. Trump made the claim that any occupant of the White House enjoys “absolute immunity from the criminal process of any kind.” However, the US District Judge's 75-page opinion states that Trump's idea of immunity "would constitute an overreach of … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Whistleblowers – A Whistleblower Alleged Corruption at IRS
Arguably the longest-running arc in the darkly comic story that is Donald Trump's presidency involves Trump's tax returns. Trump broke with long-established precedent during the 2016 campaign by refusing to release his tax returns – at various points, he claimed that he was either on the verge of releasing them or unable to because they were under … [Read more...]
Citizen Trump Faces Tax Fraud Allegations and Emoluments Clause Lawsuit in Manhattan
President Donald J. Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews Air Force Base Wednesday, August 21, 2019, in Maryland, en route Kentucky. (Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead, Public Domain) When President Trump becomes citizen Trump, possibly as soon as January 20, 2021, Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., is … [Read more...]
Excessive Taxes and Stringent Regulations are Driving California’s Illegal Cannabis Boom
California’s excessive tax rate is a “big mistake”, driving black market sales that more than double the size of the legal market, Tom Adams, BDS Analytics’ managing director and principal analyst states in an interview with American Legal News. BDS Analytics issued a report on California's legal cannabis market on August 15th. The report can be … [Read more...]
Trump Sues To Prevent House Panel From Obtaining His Tax Returns
President Donald Trump has sued to block a U.S. House of Representatives committee from obtaining his New York state tax returns. His lawyer accused the Democratic-controlled panel of “presidential harassment.” His lawyers said, “President Trump was thus forced to bring this lawsuit to safeguard his legal rights." Traditionally, U.S. … [Read more...]