Dems Won’t Immediately Demand Trump’s Tax Returns

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with members of the House Ways and Means committee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with members of the House Ways and Means committee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washingto... Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with members of the House Ways and Means committee in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

House Democrats are planning on waiting before requesting Trump’s tax returns, Politico reported Wednesday.

Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) took the helm of the Ways and Means Committee today, making him the only Democrat in Congress with the authority to request individual tax returns from the Treasury, under a little-known Twenties-era law.

“[Neal] wants to lay out a case about why presidents should be disclosing their tax returns before he formally forces him to do it,” Ways and Means Committee spokesman Dan Rubin told Politico.

Neal’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.

Politico reported that Neal may wish to work with the Trump administration on areas of tax policy, and wouldn’t want to blow up the relationship with the tax return fight. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is expected to deny the request, leading to a court battle.

Yet, Democrats on the committee are proposing legislation that would mandate that presidential candidates disclose their past ten years of tax returns upon nomination by a political party.

Trump is the first president since Gerald Ford not to release his tax returns.

Latest Muckraker

Notable Replies

  1. You got to pace it, yes…easy does it - and with an error-prone adversary, it’s be better to let him step on his own dick…

  2. "Politico reported that Neal may wish to work with the Trump administration on areas of tax policy, and wouldn’t want to blow up the relationship with the tax return fight. "

    Work with… exactly what gives him the idea that they would work with him on either way? Unless we are talking about cutting taxes with rich people, which they would be ok with either way.

  3. Smart. Do it but do it later when you have a reason for it other than just anti-trump partisan attack. Mueller might let it out and the Dems can stay clean on the issue. My guess is the IRS has “fixed” his returns much like the Texas National Guard “fixed” Bush’s guard records. Don’t rush to be like Republicans and invest all your political capital in partisan activities. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” and today aint time for that. But that time will come around.

  4. Mueller already has the window open on this …

    Just wait for his report … then get out the comb —

  5. Yep. Make the case. As I said in the other thread, the MSM is going to be running everything though the “presidential harassment” test because they just can’t fucking help themselves. Measured, tempered, reasonable, rational, even-handed, deliberate, unhurried…the Dems have to project all of that like the fucking Bat signal if they’re to win through the false equivalence, bothsiderism smokescreen.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

65 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for paulw Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for imkmu3 Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for thepsyker Avatar for irasdad Avatar for nemo Avatar for musgrove Avatar for schmed Avatar for tribalogical Avatar for clauscph Avatar for georgeh Avatar for albesure Avatar for velcro Avatar for rocklaverve Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for maximus Avatar for dominic Avatar for justruss

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: