NEW YORK _ Manhattan prosecutors have subpoenaed eight years of President Donald Trump's tax returns from his accounting firm as part of a state investigation into hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 campaign, according to a published report.
The demands for the president's personal taxes and those of the Trump Organization were issued last month to Mazars USA after District Attorney Cy Vance opened a probe into the payments made to keep the porn star quiet about her alleged affair with Trump, The New York Times reported Monday.
Vance is eyeing the $130,000 that was paid to Daniels by Trump fixer Michael Cohen just before the November 2016 vote.
Federal prosecutors got Cohen to plead guilty to breaking campaign finance laws by making the payments, for which he was later reimbursed by Trump's business.
But they effectively dropped the probe into Trump or anyone else who directed the payments.
Vance is investigating whether the Trump Organization may have falsely claimed the reimbursements were legal expenses, the Times reports. Falsifying business records can be a crime in New York and can be a felony if used to cover up other crimes.
Democrats in Congress are separately demanding Trump release his personal tax returns, but he has steadfastly refused to do so. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has defied a congressional subpoena for the returns and Trump has sued to block a state law that permits officials to disclose his state returns if Congress asks for them.
