Trump spokeswoman does not realize Trump is the only modern president not to release her tax returns – ThinkProgress



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A spokesperson for President Donald Trumps' 2020 campaign said Monday that Congress should not have access to its tax returns because they have no legitimate reason to demand them. His reasoning: the application does not include the tax returns of other US presidents.

"Ironically, the only person whose tax returns were requested – the only president – is Trump. It is therefore a false reasoning, "Kayleigh McEnany, spokesperson for Trump's election campaign, told Fox News about Congressional demands for tax documents as part of his investigation into multiple ongoing investigations on the company, the campaign and the inaugural committee of the president.

Any review of the effectiveness of Trump's Internal Revenue Service in doing its job would be focused on Trump's returns by necessity. But the other reason why Neal did not need to ask for tax returns from other previous presidents is simple: they all published their tax returns voluntarily.

According to the Tax History Project, President Barack Obama issued his tax returns for each year between 2000 and 2015. President George W. Bush issued his statements from 2000 to 2007. President Bill Clinton released his 1992 statements in 1999 (then wife, Hillary Clinton, Democratic candidate 2016, published their reports from 2000 to 2016).

President George HW Bush issued his taxes for 1989, 1990, and 2000. President Ronald Reagan issued his statements for 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1987. Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Richard Nixon also published their taxes.

Trump had promised, as a presidential candidate in 2016, that he would issue his tax documents, but then refused to do so by invoking a "routine audit" conducted by the IRS. Trump said last week that the audit is still ongoing, but has not provided any evidence to support this claim.

McEnany's comments came a few hours after Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) explained in Fox News that, as Senate Finance Chair, and Richard Neal, Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, MA), had the legal right to consult the tax returns of Americans.

Section 6301 (f) (1) of the United States Tax Code specifically gives presidents of the House of Commons Committee on Ways and Means, the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation have the right to receive any income tax return from the Americans upon request.

McEnany claimed that Congress would lose if it tried to get a legal return on Trump's returns, because "you must have a legitimate legislative objective when you ask for someone to return."

"When asked what their purpose is, they say we want to make sure the chairs are properly audited," she said.

McEnany seemed to refer specifically to a statement that Neal had written on April 3 in which he stated that the IRS "has a policy of verifying the income tax returns of all presiding and sitting vice presidents, but that the taxpayer is not responsible for tax returns. the effectiveness of this program is poorly known. "

"… [W]We need to get President Trump's tax returns and determine whether the IRS is fulfilling its responsibilities, "he said at the time. "The committee has a duty to consider whether Congress may need to take steps to require such audits and ensure that they are carried out properly."

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