At one point, appellate judge Denny Chin pressed Mr. Trump's lawyer, William Consovoy on that murder hypothetical.
"I'm talking about while in office," Judge Chin said about possible investigations while Mr. Trump is President. "Nothing could be done - that is your position?"
"That is correct," said Consovoy, who cast it as a temporary protection from investigation while Mr. Trump is President.
"This is not a permanent immunity,” Consovoy added.
Judge: If President Trump shot someone on Fifth Avenue, local authorities couldn't investigate, or do anything about it?
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 23, 2019
Trump lawyer: No.
Judge: Nothing could be done while in office? That is your position?
Trump lawyer: That is correct.https://t.co/j46j9BDt2P pic.twitter.com/P4sTHN2XAA
CLIP: Exchange between Judge Chin and President Trump's Attorney, William Consovoy.
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 23, 2019
FULL AUDIO – Second Circuit Court of Appeals: Trump v. Vance Oral Argument --> https://t.co/1WatU6S2Sz pic.twitter.com/15AOjKj43I
President Trump’s lawyer went into open court today and argued Trump literally cannot even be *investigated* for murder as president—a claim of immunity that is equally absurd, and dangerous. His days holding himself above the law are coming to an end. https://t.co/xcBYwILhNT
— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) October 23, 2019
This was not the first time that lawyers for the President had made this type of argument, as his attorneys - and top officials in his administration - have said that Congress has no power to investigate Mr. Trump, either.
"Article I grants Congress no express power to investigate," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said back in April, as the Trump Administration refused to give Congress the President's tax returns.
"Congress's investigative power is not unlimited," Mnuchin added.
The legal arguments on Wednesday in a tax return case came as another federal court ordered the State Department to give Congress a series of records related to Ukraine by late November.
That came as three committees in the House sent a letter to the State Department, reminding officials of a request for documents related to the Ukraine investigation.
"The Department has not produced any documents," the Democrats wrote, "in response to the subpoena issued...on September 27, 2019."
DEVELOPING: A federal judge has ordered the State Department to begin releasing documents related to the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine after they were requested by an ethics watchdog under the Freedom of Information Act - NBC New York
— News Breaking LIVE (@NewsBreaking) October 23, 2019
So far, the State Department and White House have not complied with a variety of subpoenas, along with multiple requests by Democrats in Congress for documents and other materials.
"President Trump has tried to obstruct the impeachment investigation by refusing to comply with doc requests, subpoenas & demanding administration officials not appear before Congress," tweeted Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO).
The lack of cooperation by the White House and State Department has been undermined by a series of individual officials who have testified in recent weeks in closed door depositions.
Wednesday was another example, as a Pentagon official ignored orders not to testify, and cooperated with the investigation.
A series of State Department officials also ignored similar orders in order to give their testimony to lawmakers.
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