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 executive power.”
Judge Victor Marrero said that the Founding Fathers did not confer an “all-encompassing immunity upon the Presidency.”
The Judge also repudiated the Justice Department opinion that a President can’t be indicted or criminally prosecuted.
“[T]he Court rejects the DOJ Memos’ position,” Marrero wrote. “It concludes that better-calibrated alternatives to absolute presidential immunity exist…”
According to CNN, lawyers for Trump have indicated they would appeal the ruling.
The Department of Justice said they would also participate in defending Trump, saying they would serve as amicus counsel in support.
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