By Aaron Miller-
Stormy Daniel’s hush money payment by Donald Trump’s former adviser, Michael Cohen is haunting the U.S president after The District Attorney’s office stepped up pressure for Donald Trump’s tax returns.
The District Attorney’s office has called for Donald Trump’s state and tax returns dating back to 2011 .
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office yesterday issued a new subpoena for “a range of tax documents” from both Trump himself and the Trump Organization, including Trump’s federal and state tax returns dating back to 2011.
The subpoena is part of the district attorney’s investigation into the $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels, paid by former attorney Michael Cohen and later reimbursed for by Trump and the Trump Organization. The investigation seeks to establish whether the Daniels payment violated any state laws, particularly whether there was any false accounted for as a legal expense.
House Democrats have made earlier efforts to subpoena Trump’s tax returns , but they have been locked up in the court battles . Trump sued after New York state lawmakers passed a law allowing them to pass Trump’s state tax returns over to certain House committees if requested.
The Trump Organization has in the past branded the Manhattan investigation as a “political hit job” and “harassment of the president, his family and his business.” The labelling has done little to prevent the inquiry from continuing, presenting a continuous headache for the president who would rather hear the last of Stormy Daniel’s name.
Daniel has made a fortune from her alleged affair with the president but has lost two legal battles against Trump, incurring a $300,000 bill in one case of defamation.