House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) said that he will not order the Treasury Department to provide President Donald Trump’s tax returns to his committee.
“If Congress begins to use its powers to rummage around in the tax returns of the President, what prevents Congress from doing the same to average Americans?” Brady wrote in a statement obtained by TPM on Tuesday. “Privacy and civil liberties are still important rights in this country and the Ways and Means Committee is not going to start to weaken them.”
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) called on Brady earlier in February to order the Treasury Department to provide 10 years of Trump’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee.
“I believe the powerful Ways and Means Committee has the responsibility to use that power to ensure proper oversight of the executive branch by requesting a review of President Trump’s tax returns,” Pascrell wrote.
Brady said in his statement that he disagrees with “all of” Pascrell’s argument.
“I’ve read his letter and I disagree with all of it,” Brady wrote. “That letter misrepresents the legislative intent of that provision, which in fact creates confidentiality and privacy for Americans in their tax returns.”
what prevents Congress from doing the same to average Americans?"
Ummmm… average Americans aren’t RUNNING THE FUCKING COUNTRY!?
This fucker ran uncontested.
Can our Texas friends please do something about this in 2018?
Trump has not recused himself from his businesses, has numerous obvious conflicts of interest that we already know of and many we probably don’t, and has some sort of sordid connection with Russia.
It’s a no-brainer his tax returns, which basically every other President has released, need to be assessed. To compare his position to that of an ordinary American is asinine.
Republicans won’t take this seriously until it all blows up in their face.
Privacy and civil liberties are still important? Oh good. Then the Republicans will respect a woman’s right to choose and make it easy for all to vote and speak out against Islamophobia and…
“If Congress begins to use its powers to rummage around in the tax returns of the President, what prevents Congress from doing the same to average Americans?” House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady wrote in a statement.
Well, Kevin, you shouldn’t have to rummage around in the President’s tax returns. A presidential candidate should release 5 or 10 years of returns voluntarily like most have done for over 30 years. What prevents you from doing the same to average Americans is common sense and the understanding that they are not fucking running for President. And, by the way, fuck you Brady.