Supreme Court rules on turning over Trump’s tax records to Congress

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an offer by former President Donald Trump to block Congress from obtaining his federal tax returns and those of related business entities from the IRS.

The Supreme Court’s order, which noted no dissent from any justice, comes more than three months after a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Washington, DC, ruled that the committee ways and means was entitled to get the tax from Trump. Return.

On October 27, the entire appeals court denied Trump’s request that the full slate of judges on that court rehear his appeal.

Trump then asked the Supreme Court on Oct. 31 to block the committee from obtaining his tax returns.

In that filing, Trump’s attorneys wrote, “This case raises important questions about the separation of powers that will affect every future president.”

In April 2019, the Ways and Means Committee first asked the Treasury Department for the federal tax returns of Trump and the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, as well as those of seven limited liability companies linked to the former president, one of which does not. business as Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump was president at the time of this request.

Federal law requires the Treasury Department and the IRS to issue tax returns when the Ways and Means, or two other congressional committees that oversee tax matters, request them.

But then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who was appointed by Trump, refused to comply with the request for his tax returns, saying the committee had no legitimate legislative purpose.

The committee then took legal action to force the Treasury to hand over the returns.

After President Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump in the 2020 election, committee chairman Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., renewed his request for tax returns, with additional details about why which the panel wanted them. Neal said the committee, in addition to looking at how tax laws apply to chairs, would also consider a chair’s potential conflicts of interest.

The Treasury Department said in mid-2021 it would release the statements, citing an opinion from department attorneys. They concluded that Neal’s request was valid and that the Treasury had a legal obligation to comply.

Trump then retaliated to prevent the returns from being handed over, arguing that the request both violated the constitutional separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government and that the request had no legitimate purpose.

On December 14, Washington federal court judge Trevor McFadden ruled against Trump, saying the committee was entitled to the returns.

“A long line of cases before the Supreme Court warrants great deference to two seemingly valid congressional inquiries. Even the special concern given to former presidents does not alter the outcome,” McFadden wrote.

“The committee need only state a valid legislative objective,” McFadden wrote. “He did it.”

This is breaking news. Check back for updates.