Feds ask US judge to decide fate of Trump’s tax returns

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. Justice Department lawyers say a legal battle over President Donald Trump’s tax returns should stay in front of a federal judge, rather than be fought in state court.

The lawyers weighed in Wednesday on jurisdictional issues in an ongoing effort by Trump to nullify a grand jury subpoena seeking the records from his accounting firm.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. is trying to get access to Trump’s returns as part of a criminal probe.

The investigation stems in part from the Trump Organization’s involvement in buying the silence of two women who claimed to have had affairs with the president.

Vance is a Democrat. He had said any dispute should be decided in state court.

Trump’s lawyers say the investigation is politically motivated.