Supreme Court clears way for House to get Trump’s taxes
Facts
- On Tuesday, SCOTUS denied former Pres. Donald Trump’s attempt to block a lower court’s ruling that allowed the US House Ways and Means Committee to access his tax returns.[1]
- The Democrat-led committee first requested six years of Trump’s tax returns in 2019. This latest ruling comes after Chief Justice John Roberts recently issued a temporary stay to block Trump from having to turn over the documents.[2]
- Trump has claimed that the committee seeks to release the returns to the public and doesn't have a legitimate legislative reason behind its request.[3]
- Meanwhile, the committee says it wants to see Trump’s returns to determine if tax law should be changed when it pertains to a president. It now has a short time to access and review the documents before the Republicans take the majority of the House in January.[4]
- While it's unknown when the documents will be received, Rep. Lloyd Doggett — a committee member — said it hopes to get the returns as soon as next week.[5]
Spin
Democratic narrative
Trump, who has fought for years to keep his tax returns secret, has been dealt a major loss. Even a Trump-appointed appeals judge and the conservative-leaning Supreme Court – with three judges Trump appointed – wouldn’t take his side in this matter. What exactly is he hiding? We’re about to find out.
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.
