Donald Trump

President Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully argued that he had “temporary presidential immunity” and therefore his accounting firm did not have to comply with a subpoena from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The subpoena forms part of the District Attorney’s investigation into allegations that the Trump Organization falsified business records to conceal “hush money” payments to two women, including adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, The Washington Post reports.

In the 7-2 majority ruling, SCOTUS reaffirmed that “no citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding”.

In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said: “This is a tremendous victory for our nation’s system of justice and its founding principle that no one – not even a president – is above the law.

“Our investigation, which was delayed for almost a year by this lawsuit, will resume, guided as always by the grand jury’s solemn obligation to follow the law and the facts, wherever they may lead.”

In two separate cases also decided yesterday, the court ruled that Trump did not have to turn over his financial records to lawmakers. All three cases will return to the lower courts.