House Committee Can Get Trump’s Tax Returns, Appeals Court Rules
ForbesDec 04, 2022
The Facts
A unanimous three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tues. that the House Ways and Means Committee can obtain several years of former Pres. Trump's tax returns.
The court affirmed a Dec. 2021 district judge's ruling, which dismissed Trump's lawsuit that looked to block the Treasury Dept. from complying with the committee's request.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This is a victory in a years-long battle, and it proves that not even a former president is above the law. While Trump's legal team will likely appeal the decision, this is a step in the right direction to bringing transparency and counteracting Trump's suspicious attempts to block the release of his tax returns.
Pro-Trump narrative
Democrats are still on a baseless mission to find something Trump is hiding in his tax returns. But if the regularly-audited Trump had violated any laws, wouldn't the IRS have already prosecuted him? There's no legislative purpose to Congress' request, and Trump is still under no obligation to release his returns.