Judge puts Manhattan prosecutors' request for Trump tax returns on hold

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - A federal judge on Wednesday (Sept 25) put Manhattan prosecutors' request for eight years of President Donald Trump's tax returns on hold until at least Thursday, ordering the prosecutors and Trump's lawyers to try to negotiate a temporary agreement on how to handle the request.

"I would suggest that the parties go home, sober up, decompress, get together between now and tomorrow," US District Judge Victor Marrero told lawyers for Trump and for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

Vance had subpoenaed the returns and other records from Trump's longtime accounting firm Mazars USA on Aug 29 as part of a criminal investigation.

Earlier this month, Trump sued to block the subpoena, arguing that a president is immune from criminal investigation while in office.

Marrero suggested that the two sides should try to reach a deal that would allow Vance's office to start getting records other than the tax returns while the dispute works its way through the court.

While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Trump broke with a decades-old convention of candidates releasing their tax returns publicly.

Trump's lawsuit against Vance is one of several efforts to shield his personal finances from investigation.

Separately, Trump is trying to block Deutsche Bank AG from handing over his financial records, which the bank has said include tax returns and which have been sought by Democrats in Congress.

A federal appeals court in Manhattan heard arguments in that case on Aug 23 and has yet to rule.