NEW YORK _ Another day, another court loss for President Donald Trump on his taxes.
A federal judge ruled Monday against Trump's effort to block New York state authorities from handing over his state taxes if asked by Congress.
"Mr. Trump has not met his burden," said Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee on the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The ruling, the latest in a string of decisions to go against Trump, is narrowly framed and will not have any immediate impact. It leaves open the door for Trump to file a similar lawsuit with another court if Congress actually moves to request the Trump state taxes.
The legislation in question, the TRUST Act, was sponsored by New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat, and signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It authorizes New York tax officials to hand over returns of certain federal officials including the president if asked by Congress.
"While the Trump administration tramples over our democracy and the rule of law, New York has given Congress a responsible way to hold the executive branch accountable through the TRUST Act," Hoylman said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has not yet requested the president's state taxes, which would generally mirror the federal 1040s that Trump has balked at releasing.
Trump has mounted a full-court legal press against handing over his tax returns, with little success so far.
Congress has issued a subpoena for his taxes from the Treasury Department citing a law that says it "shall provide" them. But Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has refused to comply with the order.
And New York prosecutors have so far won several court battles in their fight to get Trump's tax returns for their probe into possible financial wrongdoing. That fight seems like it's headed for the Supreme Court.
