U.S. News
Releasing Trump’s tax returns sets dangerous precedent, lawmakers warn [Video]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The House Ways and Means Committee voted to release former President Donald Trump’s tax records.
- Republicans criticized the move as a political maneuver and a dangerous precedent that could violate taxpayers’ privacy.
- Rep. Kevin Brady warned that partisan lawmakers could “embarrass, harrass, or destroy” political opponents by disclosing their tax returns.
The Democrat-controlled House Ways and Means Committee voted 24-16 to release six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax records after a closed-door meeting that lasted for about three and a half hours.
According to the committee, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service failed to audit Trump’s tax returns during three of his four years in office.
Experts and Republican lawmakers see the move as a political maneuver before they take over the House majority, instead of a means to bring transparency to Trump’s income before and during his administration. They also warned that it sets a dangerous precedent that could subject anyone to similar treatment, violating individual taxpayers’ right to privacy.
A century-old provision in the federal tax code provides tax-writing committees, such as the Ways and Means Committee, authority to review private records, especially when there’s a compelling interest.
It was previously easy for any government official to obtain such records, but federal laws have since tightened up to protect individual privacy, essentially making them confidential outside of Congress and the IRS.
But the subject of Trump’s tax records has been a years-long legal battle ever since he became the only modern president since Richard Nixon to refuse to publicize them. Congressional investigators looked into whether Trump received any foreign income during his candidacy or whether he financially benefitted from his administration’s tax reforms.
This eventually ended with a Supreme Court ruling late last month ordering the release of his tax returns to Congress.
Allan Morrison, an associate dean at George Washington University Law School, noted, “The problem is not that the Ways and Means Committee is getting this material. They certainly should have it, and they shouldn’t have to fight for three years to get it. The problem is the question, ‘What is the legitimate legislative purpose in making this information public?'”
Much of Trump’s tax records have previously been leaked, which suggests that there may not be much public interest in revealing such information. While the tax returns can reveal if the IRS was appropriately auditing Trump’s income, this can be accomplished without releasing his information to the public.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, remarked, “Ways and Means Democrats are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond President Trump and jeopardizes the privacy of every American.”
Brady warned against the dangerous precedent it could set, which could give any party “nearly unlimited power to target political enemies by obtaining and making public their private tax returns to embarrass and destroy them.”
The committee report said that it could still be a while before all information is publicized.
Source: Newsweek
1PatriotForever
December 23, 2022 at 6:11 am
Then Release and publicize every Person in Congress including Obama and Biden’s taxes since they went into office.
What goes around comes around and nail Biden nd Obama for all the Foreign of shore holdings they have.
FUM all
Former Marine
December 23, 2022 at 11:06 am
Why not publish every Government employee report?? And then We the people have been fully turned into full communism or whatever the bottom feeders will call the US. This foolishness has got to be stopped before there is a full-blown Civil War which can turn into a world war.
Rich
December 23, 2022 at 7:47 pm
I believe that the multi party system has collapsed and it’s one group, We the back biters. And the rest is just a last act play for We the expendables.
tj
December 24, 2022 at 10:06 am
1Patriot, also include The Clintons,Pelosi, throw in Schummer, McConnell,Waters or HELL hit ’em ALL. Let’s have true conspiracy in Gov.
1PatriotForever
December 23, 2022 at 6:14 am
Then Release hurry and publicize every Person in Congress, tax returns, including Obama and Biden’s since they went into office.
What goes around comes around and the panty waste gophers should nail Biden and Obama for all the Foreign off shore holdings they have, all the Chinese money they have been paid and lets get on with Justice FOR ALL
FUKUM all
Yolanda Chapter
December 23, 2022 at 6:16 am
Will somebody please, please invent a button the will create every democrat to just drop dead, immediately, on the spot?
Michael Goodson
December 23, 2022 at 7:10 am
Most people cant understand the release. So what does it matter!!!
Former Marine
December 23, 2022 at 11:11 am
Do You want all your business be put on the streets for the world to see and I mean all of it even personal .
tj
December 24, 2022 at 10:08 am
Micheal, that’s is one of , America’s biggest problems , that is the ignorant public as well as the entitlement people and their right to vote
Leftshot
December 23, 2022 at 8:29 am
Let’s be clear, the J6 committee committed a felony and lied to the courts about why they needed access to the Trump tax returns in the first place. By law, each of these Congress members should be impeached, removed from Congress, arrested and convicted, and never serve in office again. The fact this isn’t being discussed much less done shows how corrupt our government and media have become.
CPO Bill
December 23, 2022 at 9:42 am
Payback is gonna be a bitch you M Fs!
DORIS ANN BROWN
December 23, 2022 at 9:54 am
iF OUR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PERMITS THIS FOR A FORMER PRESIDENT, THEN EVERYONE HOLDING POLITICAL OFFICE SHOULD HAVE THEIR TAX RETURNS EXPOSED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, ANYMORE, NOTHING IS PRIVATE IN WASHINGTON. THIS IS TOTAL UNCALLED FOR. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE LIKE PELOSI, SCHUMER, KERRY, REID AND OTHERS HAVE HIDDEN IN ALL THEIR YEARS IN THE POLITICAN ARENA. LORD HELP I DON’T THINK I COULD EVEN COUNT HOW ENOUGH TO EXPOSE HOW MUCH OBAMA, CLINTON AND THE BIDEN’S HAVE TAKEN.
Mary Ryan
December 23, 2022 at 1:43 pm
Doris, I agree with you 100%…. Everyone in political office should have their tax returns exposed to all of us….
DrBillLemoine
December 23, 2022 at 10:57 am
All presidents recently released tax returns–except Trump. Already we see strange things attached to the ex-president. IRS failed to audit Trump his first 2 years in office, even when directed to do so. On the most superficial level we see this self-professed billionaire paid no taxes on one year, rather unusual don’t you think? I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the details. Remember Trump was already convicted of bilking students of his University; his ‘foundation’ was used illegally to pay himself tax free dollars he didn’t earn. What else has he don’t to evade, stretch or ignore about tax payments we all make yearly?
Janet
December 23, 2022 at 11:26 am
So Democrats too ? Starting with Bill, Hillary( since leaving office). Obama , the Biden’s plural, Pelosi, Shiff,, and the rest of them. They have nothing to hide ? Right ????
Fred
December 23, 2022 at 12:04 pm
Tax returns are private. However, instead, EVERY elected official and EVERY government employee/bureaucrat should be required to pass a security background check based on their position. If a legislator or gov’t employee with access to confidential information can’t pass Secret or Top Secret level, they should be disqualified. O’Biden, Harris, Pelosi, Feinstein, Schiff, Schumer, McConnell, Fauci, on and on and on could never pass a real background.
We make our local law enforcement officers pass extensive backgrounds, but we don’t even care about the corrupt lawmakers?
James Jaqua
December 23, 2022 at 12:08 pm
The leaders of the Democratic Party have sure dragged it into the gutter. There is no honesty in any of their current leaders.
Sean Rickman
December 23, 2022 at 1:01 pm
Trumps taxes is just another pile of”BULL EXHAUST”the socialist democRATS are pushing.The real truth will not come out,the democRATS WILL manipulate this tax thing like they have done with everything else with this totally liberal,anti conservative,NON birpartisan”KANGAROO COURT”.Trump had AMERICA headed in the right direction after barry’s disastrous two terms,but the corrupt”deep state”liberals didn’t like AMERICA to be great,so they cheated their corruption into the total disastrous term of”joey mumbles”.The election WAS rigged,if not and that many entities did vote for this corrupt bunch,we are still”TOAST”.
Mary Geiger
December 23, 2022 at 1:57 pm
Everyone needs to point fingers at this so-called committee and accuse them of stomping all over the Constitution. They accuse Conservatives of not following the Constitution but look at what they’re doing. They set precedents that do away with the Constitution little by little, word by word. They need to look in the mirror and see themselves as they truly are – corrupt and hateful demokrats breathing fire all over the United States of America.
Sanjosemike
December 23, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Everything the Democrats do against Trump supposes that their actions cannot be turned against themselves. Power is fickle. It’s just a matter of timing. Democrats always assume they will remain in power forever. Our Nation’s founders would laugh at that supposition.
sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Sandra
December 24, 2022 at 4:20 am
A bunch of bullies. Who would think that a whole battalion of politicians, journalists, corporations and law enforcement agencies, FBI, DOJ and CIA would descend on one individual. They have deluded themselves into thinking they are the heroes of the people, but all they amount to are a bunch of schoolyard bullies.
tj
December 24, 2022 at 10:11 am
The ONE THING that upsetted the Washington Political Swamp was that former Pres. TRUMP had intention of scaling IRS and the tax system laws down to 3×5 card
tj
December 24, 2022 at 10:18 am
This tactic is not much different that the NAZI Germany and their Brown shirts and the Jews. In Germany the Brown shirts would pay any one for info relating to capturing Jews.