Judge tosses Trump's lawsuit seeking to block release of tax returns

Oct. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's lawsuit to prevent his personal and corporate tax returns from being released to the public got tossed out in a lower Manhattan court Monday.

Trump's attorney immediately appealed the ruling.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York ruled that withholding the taxes could "frustrate the administration of justice" in regard to Trump's conduct.

Trump's attorneys argued that he "enjoys absolute immunity from criminal process of any kind." They also contend that this investigation into his taxes is politically motivated and should be stopped.

Marrero disagreed.

"Hence, the expansive notion of constitutional immunity invoked here to shield the president from judicial process would constitute an overreach of executive power," Marrero said.

Mahattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. subpoenaed the tax records in a probe into whether the Trump Organization violated the law in accounting for hush money payments made to two women before Trump's election.

Presidential candidates have been publicly releasing tax returns for decades but Trump has fought it since 2015.