The House Ways and Means Committee voted Tuesday to publicly release six years of Donald Trump’s tax returns, following years of Democratic efforts to secure the former president’s financial records as Republicans take control of the House next month.
The Democratic-led committee voted to release Trump’s tax returns, which cover eight of his businesses, by a vote of 24-16 along party lines on Tuesday evening after meeting behind closed doors for more than four hours.
It is not clear when Trump’s tax documents, which were originally requested by the committee in 2019, will be made available to the public. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, told CNN it could take “a few days” to redact personal information, such as Social Security numbers.
Following Tuesday’s vote, the House committee revealed that the Internal Revenue Service failed to audit Trump’s tax filings during his first two years in office, despite a policy that requires sitting presidents be audited.
“This is a major failure of the IRS under the prior administration, and certainly not what we had hoped to find,” chairman of the committee, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., said Tuesday.
“It does seem to me to be a legitimate question, if the IRS had the responsibility and wasn’t auditing, what’s the explanation?” said former IRS commissioner John Koskinen, according to the New York Times.
While Democrats argued Trump’s tax returns are needed to assess the IRS program that audits presidents, Republicans called it a politically motivated fishing expedition.
“This is one of the most important votes I will ever cast as a member of Congress, and I stand by it 100 percent,” Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said after Tuesday’s meeting.
“What was clear today is that public disclosure of President Trump’s private tax returns has nothing to do with the stated purpose of reviewing the IRS presidential audit process,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who called it a “political weapon.”
“This committee action will set a terrible precedent that unleashes a dangerous new political weapon that reaches far beyond the former president, and overturns decades of privacy protections for average Americans,” Brady said before the meeting.
Democrats argued the need for Trump’s tax returns will provide the checks and balances needed to restore the public’s confidence in the federal tax system.
“We have a two-tiered tax system, where working people are held to one standard and the very rich and the well-connected are held to a different standard,” said Steven Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada.
“This was not about being malicious,” Neal said as he praised the panel for keeping sensitive information from being leaked, while calling the debate “fairly cordial” and “professionally conducted” between Republicans and Democrats.
Trump has continually refused to make his tax returns public since he was elected to the White House, drawing public and political criticism. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a plea by Trump’s lawyers to block the release of his financial information.
While there is no law requiring the president or presidential candidates to release their tax returns, it has become a custom. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris released their tax returns during their 2020 campaign.
In addition to voting to release six years’ worth of Trump’s tax returns, the committee also released legislation to enshrine into law the presidential audit program.
“I’ve proposed legislation to put the program above reproach. Ensuring the IRS conducts yearly, timely examinations while publicly disclosing certain information,” Neal said Tuesday.
“A president is no ordinary taxpayer. They hold power and influence, unlike any other American. And with great power comes even greater responsibility.”
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If the Democrats can make Donald Trump’s tax records public, then EVERYBODY’s tax returns should be made public! 🙁 🙁 🙁
The lies, cons, deceptions, hypocrisy and treachery of the treasonous, socialist Democrat Party cult and their disciples know no bounds.
This treasonous, dishonest, destructive, immoral, demonic, socialist Democrat Party and their Democrat RINOs revolves around and its philosophy is based on Total Control, Hate, Lies, Cons, Deceptions, Immorality and the lack of Integrity, Ethics or Honor.
This treasonous, hateful, destructive, immoral, socialist Democrat Party and their RINOs and their corrupt, demented puppet president has become our country’s most destructive and deadliest ENEMY!
“Democrats Vote To Release Former President’s Private Tax Returns To The Public”,,,,,soon to be followed in January with a Republican vote to release the current President’s Private tax returns to the public, which will prove way more embarrassing and legally dangerous to the person who filed as a government paid money laundering employee than the one acting as a wealth creating private Businessman builder. These democrats are either totally stupid in their destructive precedence setting Congressional acts while in power, or totally clever in setting the stage to remove the Biden Pimple from office that once lanced will remove the pressure and political disfigurement that remains upon their own cratered faces. First the phony failed Trump Impeachments, now the Tax returns. Trump will survive both, but I doubt the Biden Crime family and their FBI co-conspirators will, if investigations are equally applied, and the truths are no longer media suppressed and censored. When the IRS was created THE PEOPLE were guaranteed personal privacy of their personal finances. How come only White male Republicans get exposed to the political proctology of investigating, then releasing to the public our personal tax returns. With Bill Clinton it was “what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom” while with Trump it’s a Democrat Deliverance moment of, “Let’s drop them shorts, bend over and cough” for everyone and all to see.
How about the government release the private returns of the likes of Schummer, Pelosi, Biden, Waters, and all the rest of the “leaders” of the democrats? Guess with the democrats private has a different meaning, depending on who’s records they’re talking about. This is just one more reason to purge all democrats from our government before they destroy this constitutional republic of ours and install their version of a socialist police state.
Especially everyone in congress!!!!
If the irs did not audit his tax returns while president why would they be used to ensure the irs is doing its job well. The irs just failed, period so no need for his tax returns to be seen.
They may consider that a big whoop, but there is nothing there I need—or want—to see.
Oh how rich is this statement: “We have a two-tiered tax system, where working people are held to one standard and the very rich and the well-connected are held to a different standard,” said Steven Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada.
As I understand it, the vast majority of members of the House and Senate are quite rich and well-connected, ergo, here are my thoughts.
1. Let’s make public the tax returns of every single member of the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation, starting from when they first started filing, up to, and including, the present.
2. Likewise let’s make public tax returns for all members of the Judiciary, with the same terms.
3. Under the same terms, make public the tax returns of all members of the IRS, FBI, CIA, DHS, etc.
4. Make public the returns of all members of Hollywood – same terms.
5. Make public the tax returns of the Silicon Valley tech giants – Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook, Google, etc.
6. Make public all tax returns of the Biden Crime Family – starting with the “Big Guy”, going on down the line.
7. Propose, and pass, legislation capping the pay of all civil servants at a level commensurate with what the average working-class American makes – this should particularly apply to House, Senate, White House, Judiciary and IRS.
Do you Dems wanna really play this game? If so, if there are any principled Republicans left in the House & Senate, bring it!!!
You forgot to add in ALL THOSE AT EVERY COLLEGE and university!
Agreed! I missed that one. For that matter, let’s make public all tax returns for every CEO and reporter, analyst, etc, who works for the corrupt, mainstream media. To quote “The Matrix” let’s “Take the red pill and see just how far the rabbit hole goes.”
Nice call on adding in the media!
Gee, I wonder what Creepy Joe Biden’s tax returns look like. Maybe his and Hunter’s tax records would be an interesting audit.