Trump Asks Justices to Keep Tax Returns From House Committee

October 31, 2022by The Associated Press
Trump Asks Justices to Keep Tax Returns From House Committee
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is going to the Supreme Court, again, this time to try to stop his tax returns from being handed to a congressional committee.

In an emergency appeal filed Monday, Trump wants the court to order at least a temporary hold on the Treasury Department turning over his returns to the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee.

Trump said the handover could happen as soon as Thursday, without the court’s intervention.

Lower courts ruled that the committee has broad authority to obtain tax returns and rejected Trump’s claims that it was overstepping.

Trump had most recently sought the justices’ intervention in a legal dispute stemming from the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August. The court rejected that appeal.

If Trump can persuade the nation’s highest court to intervene in this case, he could potentially delay a final decision until the start of the next Congress in January. If Republicans recapture control of the House in the fall election, they could drop the records request.

The House Ways and Means panel and its chairman, Democrat Richard Neal of Massachusetts, first requested Trump’s tax returns in 2019 as part of an investigation into the Internal Revenue Service’s audit program and tax law compliance by the former president. A federal law says the Internal Revenue Service “shall furnish” the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers.

The Justice Department, under the Trump administration, had defended a decision by then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to withhold the tax returns from Congress. Mnuchin argued that he could withhold the documents because he concluded they were being sought by Democrats for partisan reasons. A lawsuit ensued.

After President Joe Biden took office, the committee renewed the request, seeking Trump’s tax returns and additional information from 2015-2020. The White House took the position that the request was a valid one and that the Treasury Department had no choice but to comply. Trump then attempted to halt the handover in court.

Then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. obtained copies of Trump’s personal and business tax records as part of a criminal investigation. That case, too, went to the Supreme Court, which rejected Trump’s argument that he had broad immunity as president.

A+
a-
  • Donald Trump
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Taxes

    March 26, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Sen. Blumenthal Lauds Expansion of Tax Credit for Offshore Wind Projects

    NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., visited State Pier in New London, Connecticut, on Monday to tout and... Read More

    NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., visited State Pier in New London, Connecticut, on Monday to tout and celebrate the Biden administration’s decision to expand eligibility of federal tax credits for offshore wind projects. “This tax credit has been a long time in coming,”... Read More

    House Passes Bill to Enhance Child Tax Credit, Revive Tax Breaks for Businesses

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The House accomplished something unusual Wednesday in passing with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The House accomplished something unusual Wednesday in passing with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax cut package that would enhance the child tax credit for millions of lower-income families and boost three tax breaks for businesses, a combination that gives lawmakers... Read More

    December 8, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Hunter Biden Indicted on Felony Charges Alleging Years of Tax Evasion

    LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles grand jury indicted Hunter Biden on tax charges Thursday. The nine-count indictment alleges Biden... Read More

    LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles grand jury indicted Hunter Biden on tax charges Thursday. The nine-count indictment alleges Biden failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes over four years. The Los Angeles indictment follows similar tax evasion charges this year in Delaware. Biden also is... Read More

    July 10, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Feds Propose Change to Rules Governing Oil and Gas Decommissioning Costs

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is proposing changes to the federal financial assurance requirements for oil and gas companies to... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is proposing changes to the federal financial assurance requirements for oil and gas companies to protect taxpayers from the costs of decommissioning offshore oil wells and infrastructure no longer in use. By law, oil and gas companies must “decommission” offshore infrastructure... Read More

    June 26, 2023
    by Jacquelyn Burrer
    Supreme Court to Determine Scope of Congress’ Taxing Authority

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to a provision of the Trump-era Tax Cuts... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to a provision of the Trump-era Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that could dramatically alter the taxing powers of Congress. As is their custom, the justices did not explain their rationale for taking up... Read More

    June 9, 2023
    by Jacquelyn Burrer
    New Bipartisan Caucus Aims to Secure State and Local Tax Deduction

    WASHINGTON —  Members of the recently-formed bipartisan State and Local Tax Caucus are urging their colleagues to support legislation removing... Read More

    WASHINGTON —  Members of the recently-formed bipartisan State and Local Tax Caucus are urging their colleagues to support legislation removing the SALT deduction cap, arguing it will provide often neglected middle-class Americans with needed financial assistance.  The bill, the Securing Access to Lower Taxes by ensuring... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top