Trump must produce tax returns: US federal judge

A US federal judge in New York yesterday dismissed President Donald Trump's efforts to block access to years of his personal and corporate tax returns, saying sitting presidents are not immune from criminal investigations.

In a 75-page ruling, Judge Victor Marrero rejected Trump's argument, saying such vast immunity would "operate to frustrate the administration of justice" by putting the president's personal and professional affairs off-limits.

"This court cannot endorse such a categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process," Marrero wrote. "The Court cannot square a vision of presidential immunity that would place the President above the law."

Trump had filed suit against Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr, who had subpoenaed the accounting firm Mazars USA, seeking access to the president's tax returns dating back to 2011.

Vance is investigating payments made by Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who claimed to have had an affair with Trump before he ran for president.

Trump is expected to appeal the judge's ruling.

Trump has declined to release his tax returns and there have been various attempts to obtain them, including by the Democratic-led House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Trump lashed out at Democrat Joe Biden on Sunday, strongly suggesting on Twitter that he and his family were corrupt and saying the former vice president should "hang it up."

In a series of Twitter posts, the president advanced widely discredited allegations that Biden interfered improperly to protect his son Hunter from suggestions of corrupt dealings in Ukraine, and that the younger Biden also made $1.5 billion in a questionable deal in China.

"Based on all of the money he & his family probably 'extorted,' Joe should hang it up," Trump said.