Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily blocked the House Ways and Means Committee from obtaining years of federal income tax returns of former President Donald Trump and related business entities from the IRS.
Roberts’ order came a day after Trump’s lawyers filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court requesting the delay, and two days before the IRS was set to give the committee the Republican’s tax returns.
The chief justice gave the Ways and Means Committee until Nov. 10 to respond to Trump’s application for the delay.
Trump wants the Supreme Court to block the committee from getting his tax returns and those of the related entities for the years 2015 through 2020 until he formally asks the high court to allow him to appeal lower court rulings that cleared the way for the records to be handed over.
The Democratic-controlled Ways and Means Committee has said it wants the returns as part of a probe of how the agency audits presidential taxes.
But Trump, who as a candidate and president broke four decades of tradition by refusing to publicly release his tax returns,argues the committee is just trying to embarass him and plans to make public his returns.
Trump’s application Monday was directed to Roberts because the chief justice handles emergency applications, such as this one, arising out of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
A lawyer for Trump and a spokeswoman for the Ways and Means Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Roberts’ order.
The Supreme Court does not automatically grant appeals.
And it is not clear if Trump will convince enough justices on the court, three of whom he appointed, to take his case. But if the court does so, it could prevent the committee from getting the returns for months, or even years.Supreme Court cases can take months or longer to resolve. (CNBC)