Republicans reject attempt to disclose Trump tax returns
WASHINGTON — Republicans resoundingly defeated a New Jersey Democrat’s ploy to compel the Internal Revenue Service to disclose Donald Trump’s tax returns over the president’s objections.
In a 24-16 party-line vote Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House Ways and Means Committee rejected Rep. Bill Pascrell’s effort, which leaders characterized as a politically motivated abuse of a procedural tool.
Mr. Pascrell’s “resolution of inquiry” would have required the Treasury Department to provide the committee with 10 years of Mr. Trump’s tax returns and financial documents showing foreign debts and investments, tax shelters, “tax avoidance maneuvers” and corporate structures.
“Donald Trump has refused as a candidate and as a president to release his tax returns, which begs the question: What is he hiding?” Mr. Pascrell said before Tuesday’s committee vote.
He said it is increasingly important to know what’s in the tax returns because of new evidence that Trump associates “colluded” with the Russian government.
The White House had no immediate response, but committee Republicans had plenty to say, noting it would be unprecedented for Ways and Means to wade into tax returns of someone not tied to the committee’s jurisdiction.
“If Congress chooses to use this power to single out President Trump for political purposes, invade his privacy, and seize his confidential tax information, what prevents Congress from doing the same to other Americans?” said committee chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas. “Civil liberties and privacy are still rights worth protecting, and I intend to protect them.”
Rep. Jim Renacci, ROHIO, an accountant, said Mr. Pascrell was “railing about things that you would never find on a tax return,” that his resolution was politically motivated, and that Mr. Trump had already filed a financial disclosure form.
That began a heated back-and-forth with Mr. Pascrell.
“For you to accuse me of doing this for political reasons, you are 100 percent wrong,” Mr. Pascrell said. “Our constituents are demanding transparency. You’re giving me complicity.”
He said tax forms do provide the sort of information he is seeking, including lists of financial assets, foreign partnerships and foreign gifts that may reveal conflicts of interest.
During the campaign, Mr. Trump said he would disclose his tax returns after an audit was complete, but after the election, his spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway said he no longer intended to release them.
Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Delaware County, said he would like the president to voluntarily release his tax returns, but the committee should not compel it.
“This American citizen has a voluntary opportunity but not an obligation. He’s choosing not to volunteer to do it — not withstanding that all his predecessors have done it and people don’t like it,” Mr. Meehan said.