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Trump’s Immunity Claim Heads to D.C. Circuit: Supreme Court Delays Decision

The outcome of the ongoing legal battle between President Trump and House Democrats over the Congressional subpoena for the President’s financial records will likely remain unresolved for a while after the Supreme Court announced its decision to send the case back to the District of Columbia Circuit Court. This move denies the President a quick victory in regaining immunity from Congressional investigations, which he has been calling for since Congress first issued the subpoena back in April. The circuit court will now review the case to determine whether safeguards should be in place to protect the President from “unnecessarily intrusive inquiries” during its proceedings. This is despite the fact that the lower federal trial court previously rejected Trump’s argument that he is immune from congressional inquiries. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to issue a decision to protect him from the inquiry ahead of the circuit court ruling. However, the court declined to do so, leaving the decision in the hands of the circuit court. The decision by the Supreme Court to allow the case to move forward means that the President faces a lengthy legal battle as the circuit court reviews the case. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to express his dissatisfaction with the proceedings. He recently took to Twitter to say that he “won’t be charged for a crime” and that the “case is very weak.” However, the President has yet to provide any evidence to back up this assertion. The final outcome of this legal battle is still uncertain. It could take several months before a decision is reached. In the meantime, Trump is likely to continue to take his claim of immunity to the court of public opinion as he presses forward with his legal maneuvering. Depending on the result, he could yet gain some interesting precedents to bolster his already considerable presidential powers.