TAX ME NO QUESTIONS ... I’LL TELL MORE LIES
Trump sings same old song on releasing info in defiance of House deadline
For the third year in a row, President Trump’s taxes are being done by H&R Blocked.
The Treasury Department on Wednesday refused to give up Trump’s tax returns — blowing off a request from Democratic lawmaker Richard Neal.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the Massachusetts congressman’s demand for Trump’s past six tax returns may violate the “scope” of congressional oversight.
His stonewalling will likely pave the way for a lengthy legal battle as Democrats ramp up pressure in an effort to get their hands on the closely guarded documents.
“The legal implications of this request could affect protections for all Americans against politically motivated disclosures of personal tax information, regardless of which party is in power,” Mnuchin wrote in a letter to Neal, who is chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Neal issued a request last week for all the Trump tax records to be turned over to his committee by midnight Wednesday.
Mnuchin said he was going to ignore the deadline, claiming he first needed to consult with the Justice Department to ensure the administration’s response is
“fully consistent with the law.”
Trump himself made clear earlier in the day that he won’t give up the longsought records without a fight — as he’s said for the past three years.
“I would love to give them, but I’m not going to do it while I’m under audit,” Trump told reporters before jetting off to Texas for a fund-raising event. “I have no obligation to do that while I’m under audit and no lawyer would tell you to release your tax returns while you’re under audit.”
Despite Trump’s oft-repeated claim, there’s nothing stopping him from releasing his taxes even during an audit, as confirmed by his
own Internal Revenue Service chief.
“I think I’ve answered that question: No,” IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday after a Democratic member asked if audits prevent any U.S. taxpayer, including the president, from publicly releasing their returns.
Interest in Trump’s tax returns has been high ever since he spent the entire 2016 campaign refusing to release them or explain why he was reluctant to do so. Demands for transparency spiked after Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, alleged under oath earlier this year that the president’s tax returns would reveal he has committed crimes.
In particular, Cohen testified before Congress that Trump purposely inflated and deflated the value of his assets in order to enrich himself — allegations that would amount to fraud if proven true.
Trump is the first president in modern memory to not release his returns upon taking office.
It’s unclear exactly what will happen now that the administration has bucked Neal’s request, but Democrats are going to be reluctant to give up, meaning subpoenas and court challenges are likely to ensue.
Neal hinted at that outcome in a brief response to Mnuchin’s stalling letter.
“The department has decided not to allow the IRS to comply with my request,” Neal said in a statement. “I will consult with counsel and determine the appropriate response to the commissioner in the coming days.”
Neal’s extraordinary April 3 request demanded the president’s 2013-2018 personal returns and some of his business returns from the same period out of a need for what he dubbed “critical” oversight.
His request to the IRS leaned on an obscure federal law stipulating that the Treasury “shall furnish” tax returns if the Senate or House Ways and Means Committees ask for them.
Despite Neal’s legaleseheavy letter citing specific statutes, Trump claimed on the South Lawn that “there is no law, whatsoever” stipulating that the government must turn over his tax records to Congress.
“As you know, I got elected last time with this same issue,” Trump said. “Frankly, the people don’t care.”
Every president since Richard Nixon has publicly released their tax returns, or a summary of them, as a matter of transparency and public trust. That’s despite an IRS rule — implemented after Nixon was found to have underpaid his taxes — mandating that all presidential tax returns automatically undergo audits.
“I would love to give them, but I’m not going to do it while I’m under audit.” PRESIDENT TRUMP