A federal appeals court in Washington ruled Tuesday that the House Ways and Means Committee may access many years’ worth of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, delivering House Democrats a victory in their years-long pursuit of the papers.
The complete three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with House Democrats in April 2019 when they wanted five years of federal income tax returns from Trump, then president, and many of his corporate entities.
In a 33-page ruling, Senior Circuit Judge David Sentelle wrote that the request “was made in furtherance of a subject upon which legislation could be had,” citing a renewed request for the tax information in 2021 from Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the Ways and Means panel, and rejecting the former president’s claims that Democrats’ request for his tax information was unconstitutional.
“While Congress may threaten the incumbent president with an intrusive request when he leaves office,” Sentelle wrote, “every president enters office knowing that he will be subject to the same laws as all other people upon leaving office.” “This is a strength, not a weakness, of our democratic republic.”
The Ways and Means Committee praised the decision, tweeting that the requested returns and audit files will be received “immediately.”
However, the ruling will very definitely be appealed to the whole D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court.
The legal wrangling originates from Neal’s first request to the director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Trump’s tax returns in 2019, when the committee was “considering legislative ideas and conducting oversight relating to” federal tax laws.
The Treasury Department declined to participate, alleging that the request lacked a genuine legislative purpose. The committee launched a lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department in order to force them to provide the tax information.
During the debate, however, President Biden was elected, and Neal reaffirmed his call for five years of income tax returns from Trump and his firms beginning in 2015. In July 2021, the Treasury Department said that it anticipated to comply with the most recent request and sent over the material.
Again, the former president attempted to prevent the release of his tax returns to House Democrats, arguing that the requests were unlawful, owing in part to the Treasury Department’s political motivation and lack of a clear legislative purpose.
A federal district judge in Washington, D.C., however, allowed Treasury Department and Ways and Means Committee pleas to dismiss Trump’s allegations, concluding that legislators’ 2021 proposal fulfilled a legislative purpose and did not violate the Constitution. The D.C. Circuit agreed.
“The chairman has identified a valid legislative goal that requires information. It is not our responsibility to delve any further at this time “Sentelle scribbled a letter. “It makes little difference whether individual members of Congress are acting for political or legislative purposes.” A federal appeals court in Washington ruled Tuesday that the House Ways and Means Committee may access many years’ worth of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, delivering House Democrats a victory in their years-long pursuit of the papers.
The complete three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with House Democrats in April 2019 when they wanted five years of federal income tax returns from Trump, then president, and many of his corporate entities.
In a 33-page ruling, Senior Circuit Judge David Sentelle wrote that the request “was made in furtherance of a subject upon which legislation could be had,” citing a renewed request for the tax information in 2021 from Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the Ways and Means panel, and rejecting the former president’s claims that Democrats’ request for his tax information was unconstitutional.
“While Congress may threaten the incumbent president with an intrusive request when he leaves office,” Sentelle wrote, “every president enters office knowing that he will be subject to the same laws as all other people upon leaving office.” “This is a strength, not a weakness, of our democratic republic.”
The Ways and Means Committee praised the decision, tweeting that the requested returns and audit files will be received “immediately.”
However, the ruling will very definitely be appealed to the whole D.C. Circuit or the Supreme Court.
The legal wrangling originates from Neal’s first request to the director of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for Trump’s tax returns in 2019, when the committee was “considering legislative ideas and conducting oversight relating to” federal tax laws.
The Treasury Department declined to participate, alleging that the request lacked a genuine legislative purpose. The committee launched a lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department in order to force them to provide the tax information.
During the debate, however, President Biden was elected, and Neal reaffirmed his call for five years of income tax returns from Trump and his firms beginning in 2015. In July 2021, the Treasury Department said that it anticipated to comply with the most recent request and sent over the material.
Again, the former president attempted to prevent the release of his tax returns to House Democrats, arguing that the requests were unlawful, owing in part to the Treasury Department’s political motivation and lack of a clear legislative purpose.
A federal district judge in Washington, D.C., however, allowed Treasury Department and Ways and Means Committee pleas to dismiss Trump’s allegations, concluding that legislators’ 2021 proposal fulfilled a legislative purpose and did not violate the Constitution. The D.C. Circuit agreed.
“The chairman has identified a valid legislative goal that requires information. It is not our responsibility to go any farther at this time “Sentelle scribbled a note. “It makes little difference whether individual members of Congress are acting for political or legislative purposes.”