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WASHINGTON – Democrats will be looking to scrutinize President Trump's tax returns if they take control of the House or Senate after next month's election, according to key lawmakers who would have the power to get the documents.
Rep. Richard Neal (D., Mass.), Online Leading the Ways and Means Committee of the House if Democrats win this room, said that he would get the documents, which the President refused to voluntarily disclose .
"Yes," Mr. Neal said when asked if he would ask for returns. "We will do it."
Senator Ron Wyden (D., Oregon) followed Mr. Neal on Wednesday, declaring for the first time that he would ask for tax returns when he became chairman of the finance committee in January.
Mr. Trump's tax returns are not an important part of the Democrats' mid-term campaigns, but they have been a major issue in the 2016 presidential election. House Democrats have repeatedly tried to so that Congress uses its existing authority to obtain reports, failing more than a dozen voices since its inauguration.
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The American people have the right to know if its president is able to be compromised and the Presidency compromised.
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Democrats who campaign to reinstate the House insist on strengthening oversight of the administration. In this context, legislators consider tax returns as a window on the president's finances.
According to them, the president's tax returns are an essential part of the exploration of Trump's ties to Russian interests, of any tax evasion strategy he has used and the potential benefits of the 2017 tax law. that he signed.
His tax returns – and his correspondence with the Internal Revenue Service during audits – would provide a detailed overview of his finances, including sources of revenue, trading partners, and charitable contributions. They would not necessarily provide the answers to all the Democrats' questions.
"The American people have the right to know if its president is able to do so and if the presidency is compromised," said Representative Bill Pascrell (D., NJ), who led the campaign with requests and requests repeated votes.
Mr. Pascrell and other Democrats could use their authority to investigate decades of Mr. Trump's tax returns. Several lawmakers reiterated their call for the statement after the New York Times reported on Tuesday the alleged avoidance of inheritance tax and donations by Trump and his father. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called the attack attack report and said the IRS had "reviewed and approved" the transactions that took place several decades ago.
The administration has rejected Democrats' demands and a legal battle is possible if the party takes control of either House of Congress. White House spokesman Raj Shah said, "The fact that their plans are aimed at attacking the president for political reasons rather than improving the lives of the American people speaks volumes about their priorities. "
Under the tax code, the president of Ways and Means can request and receive IRS taxpayer records for confidential examination. Mr. Neal would not need the approval of the House, the Senate or the administration. Prosecutors, including special advocate Robert Mueller, can also obtain IRS tax returns.
Mr. Trump said during his campaign that he would publish his tax returns. But he did not do so, citing what he says are unfair and ongoing IRS audits. The decision not to release returns has broken the tradition of the top 40 presidential candidates.
The authority of the Ways and Means Committee to obtain and make public an individual's tax return "is a powerful monitoring tool not to be used for political fishing expeditions", said the representative of the United States. Committee, Kevin Brady (R., Texas). "Most people do not care about the president's tax returns. They care about their own. "
When he receives the responses, Mr. Neal said he was considering consulting with his staff, Democratic leaders and House lawyers on how to analyze and make them public, which would require a vote in committee.
He could publish entire statements or delete certain information to protect other people's privacy or to focus on potential violations.
"It's never happened before, so you want to be very meticulous," Neal said.
Mr Neal said that one possibility – an echo of Congressional inquiries on President Richard Nixon – is a study by the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation.
Wyden said Wednesday that Democratic senators would decide what to do after examining them.
Write to Richard Rubin at [email protected]
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