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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 5 april 2019

White House pushes back on request for Trump tax forms

By MARCY GORDON in their tax returns.” Louisi-
AP Business Writer ana Rep. Steve Scalise, the
WASHINGTON (AP) — The No. 2 House GOP leader,
White House said Thursday said “a lot of Americans
that Democratic efforts to are shocked” that Con-
obtain President Donald gress can review tax re-
Trump’s tax records are turns, “whether it’s a blue
“political games.” collar worker or president
A House committee chair- of the United States.”
man formally asked the IRS The legal battle set to en-
Wednesday to provide six sue could take years to
years of Trump’s personal resolve, possibly stretching
tax returns and the returns beyond the 2020 presiden-
for some of his businesses tial election.
as Democrats try to shed Trump broke with decades
light on his complex finan- of tradition for presidential
cial dealings and potential candidates by refusing to
conflicts of interest. release his income tax fil-
The request by Massachu- ings during his 2016 cam-
setts Rep. Richard Neal, paign. He has said he won’t
who heads the tax-writing release them because
House Ways and Means he is being audited, even
Committee, is the first such White House press secretary Sarah Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House, Thursday, though IRS officials have
demand for a sitting presi- April 4, 2019, in Washington. said taxpayers under au-
dent’s tax information in 45 Associated Press dit are free to release their
years. The unprecedented asked for the documents in of political games like the ferring to Attorney General returns. Trump claimed at
move is likely to set off a seven days, setting an April Democrats in Congress William Barr, whom he ap- a news conference follow-
huge legal battle between 10 deadline. clearly want to spend their pointed. ing the November elec-
Democrats controlling the Trump told reporters time doing.” Justice Department tion that the filings are too
House and the Trump ad- Wednesday he “would not Asked again later Thursday spokeswoman Kerri Kupec complex for people to un-
ministration. be inclined” to provide his for his response to Neal’s declined to comment. derstand.
Neal made the request tax returns to the commit- demand, Trump didn’t pro- An IRS spokesman said the The IRS has a policy of au-
Wednesday in a letter to IRS tee. White House press sec- vide a direct answer. agency had no comment diting the tax returns of
Commissioner Charles Ret- retary Sarah Sanders said “They’ll speak to my law- on Neal’s request. all sitting presidents and
tig, asking for Trump’s per- Thursday morning that the yers; they’ll speak to the Democrats insist that ob- vice presidents, “yet little
sonal and business returns White House “is not inter- attorney general,” Trump taining Trump’s tax filings is known about the effec-
for 2013 through 2018. He ested in playing a bunch said at the White House, re- falls within their mandate tiveness of this program,”
of congressional oversight. Neal said in the statement.
Republicans have de- “On behalf of the Ameri-
nounced it as a political can people, the Ways and
witch hunt and invoked pri- Means Committee must
vacy concerns. determine if that policy is
“We have completed the being followed, and if so,
necessary groundwork for whether these audits are
a request of this magni- conducted fully and ap-
tude, and I am certain we propriately.”
are within our legitimate Neal continued, “In order
legislative, legal and over- to fairly make that deter-
sight rights,” Neal said in mination, we must obtain
a statement Wednesday President Trump’s tax re-
evening. turns and review whether
Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the IRS is carrying out its re-
the senior Republican on sponsibilities.”
the Ways and Means pan- Neal is one of only three
el, denounced the move congressional officials au-
as “an abuse of the tax- thorized to make a writ-
writing committees’ statu- ten request to the Treasury
tory authority.” secretary for anyone’s tax
“Weaponizing our nation’s returns. The Internal Rev-
tax code by targeting po- enue Service is part of the
litical foes sets a danger- Treasury Department. A
ous precedent and weak- rarely used 1924 law says
ens Americans’ privacy the Treasury chief “shall fur-
rights,” Brady wrote in a let- nish” the requested materi-
ter Wednesday to Treasury al to members of the Ways
Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Means Committee for
who oversees the IRS. “As them to examine behind
you know, by law all Ameri- closed doors.
cans have a fundamental A spokesman for Mnuchin
right to the privacy of the didn’t respond to requests
personal information found for comment.q