Democrats demand Trump’s tax returns

WASHINGTON—House Democrats have asked the Internal Revenue Service for six years of President Donald Trump’s tax returns. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., on Wednesday requested that IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig release Trump’s returns from 2013 to 2018. Under tax code provision No. 6103, tax-writing entities, including the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, have the power to request tax information on any filer.

Trump broke with other party nominees and past presidents by refusing to release any tax returns. He said his finances were under a government audit and he would have to wait until it was completed.

Democrats want to learn whether Trump, who has not fully divested from his businesses since taking office, has benefitted from any legislation passed during his administration, including the Republican tax cut bill of 2017. The returns and other financial disclosure forms would reveal his income, investments, debts, business partners, and potential conflicts of interest, among other things. The House Ways and Means Committee’s efforts to get the president’s tax returns accelerated in March when Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, told Congress that Trump had deflated the value of his assets to avoid higher taxes.

Republicans argued the move is a “fishing expedition” that raises privacy concerns. The top Republican on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that the request “begins the process of eroding and threatening the privacy rights of all taxpayers.”

In March, Mnuchin said at a congressional hearing he would “comply with the law” if asked to release Trump’s returns but that the final determination would rest with the IRS commissioner. When asked on Wednesday whether he would comply with the request, Trump said “until such time as I’m not under audit, I would not be inclined to do that.”

In addition to requesting Trump’s personal returns, Neal also requested records from eight of Trump’s businesses, including his trust and New Jersey golf club. If the IRS complies, Neal and his staff would be the only ones to see the returns. The committee would have to vote before they could release any documents publicly. Neal gave the agency a deadline of April 10 to respond.