Donald Trump’s attempts to keep his previous tax returns, and other presidential documents classified may yet be unsuccessful. A dispute between the former president and Democrats in Congress, could see the matter – previously thought to be resolved – delayed further.
The decision was ruled on by Judge Trevor N. McFadden, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge McFadden had been asked by the Democrats to immediately uphold his ruling that the documents should be disclosed. The ruling in favour of disclosure states that President Trump could not exercise executive privilege to keep his past records hidden.
Judge McFadden acknowledged that the ruling was an important one, that could potentially have implications beyond the case itself. “This is a highly unusual case,” Judge McFadden said. “At issue is congressional access to information related to the president.”
He went on to explain that because most of the records had already been requested by the House, he felt that the matter could be considered as one of “time-related urgency,” rather than a matter of “immediate urgency.” He said this because the House had not yet placed a deadline on their request of the documents.
Judge McFadden also indicated that, due to the complexity of the case, that he may delay the enforcement of his ruling until the appellate court had ruled on the matter. This means that the documents may be kept out of the public eye, until the appellate process was finished.
The documents in question include previous tax returns, financial records, and other documents related to his time as president and after. Republicans have strongly opposed the effort, arguing that the request for documents is overly broad, and that the documents should not be made public.
Though it is unclear how quickly Judge McFadden’s ruling will be enforced, the case could drag on for some time, depending on how the appellate court rules on the matter. Given the complexity of the case, it could be some time before President Trump’s documents are revealed.