Democrats face minefield if they get Trump's tax returns

[Kablooie]

Democrats’ bid to seize President Donald Trump’s tax returns will come with some serious legal risk to themselves.
Lawmakers are concerned that, even if they get the president’s filings, his returns will still be protected by strict confidentiality laws — it is a felony, punishable by up to five years, to improperly disclose private tax information.

That means there will be a period, possibly lasting months, when Democrats will have finally seen the president’s long-hidden taxes — and they will be inundated with questions about what’s in them — but they won’t be able to talk about them. If they let anything slip, Republicans will surely jump, demanding an investigation by the Justice Department.
“We’re going to have to be circumspect in terms of the way we handle this,” said Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “That’s the responsibility of every member.”

Tax veterans say the period between when Democrats get Trump’s returns and if and when they release something will be stressful for lawmakers, given the criminal penalties for even inadvertent disclosure. Democrats won’t be able to discuss even basic things about Trump’s returns, like how much he paid in taxes, what he reported earning or if he gave to charity.
“When we’ve had members in these situations before, we frequently have members say, ‘I don’t know if I want you to tell me or not, because I don’t know if I can trust myself not to say anything,'” said Rick Grafmeyer, a former deputy head of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Taxation and expert on taxpayer privacy laws.

Some say Democrats’ situation will be tougher than what most lawmakers deal with when it comes to taxpayer secrecy rules. Everyone will likely know Democrats have Trump’s returns and lawmakers would be besieged with questions from reporters, constituents and other lawmakers. That’s a lot different than when lawmakers quietly examine an oil company’s tax return.
Also, the Ways and Means Committee is loaded with new members who aren’t steeped in the intricacies of the tax secrecy rules — the closest analogue many say is when lawmakers received classified intelligence briefings.

https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2019/04/05/democrats-trump-tax-returns-1329795https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2019/04/05/democrats-trump-tax-returns-1329795

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If the Dems get them I wouldn't put it past Trump to secretly release some of it himself so he could imprison some Democrats. This doesn't sound so good.

[3Hotdogs]

1. It can be read or summarized on the floor of Congress.

Without penalty.

[spooky3]

4. I'm not sure that's true - Sec. 6103 says if the tax info given to the WAMC identifies an individual

then it must be given in closed session.

[manor321]

2. Dems will speak through the investigations they open up after seeing the docs

They don't have to tell us anything about what is in the documents. We'll know by the investigations they start.

[MadDAsHell]

3. Wouldn't the IRS itself be investigating if there was a legal issue with his returns?

There's like thousands of agents.

[pnwmom]

12. No. The IRS gave President Nixon a clean bill of health the first time around.

But the second time around, with the same tax return, they realized he owed an additional $500,000.

Why were they so lax the first time? Who knows.

[gratuitous]

5. Thank you, Politico, for your concern

We know the administration's corruption doesn't faze you.

[hatrack]

8. THIS

Thank you!!

[Thekaspervote]

10. Ha! Politico caught with its right leaning pants down

[pnwmom]

13. Why do you think Politico skews right?

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/politico/

LEAST BIASED
These sources have minimal bias and use very few loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes). The reporting is factual and usually sourced. These are the most credible media sources. See all Least Biased Sources.

Overall, we rate Politico Least Biased based on balanced coverage of news stories and High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact check record.


https://www.adfontesmedia.com/media-bias-chart-3-1-minor-updates-based-constructive-feedback/

[rockfordfile]

19. Politico has always been right-wing.

[pnwmom]

21. According to who? n/t

[CharleyDog]

14. Politico is always wringing its hands over mistakes Dems might be making by

being assertive and taking action. "Watch out!!! Don't fall!! You might skin your knee...ohhhhh terrible!!"

[Marcuse]

6. Just tell us if he was under perpetual audit.

[politicaljunkie41910]

7. The point of it would be as Nixon said,"The country deserves to know if their president is a crook."

We already know that he is. The audit would mean that the entire world would then know as well.

[RockRaven]

9. Here's a way around that -- write up a criminal referral to the DOJ based on these tax returns,

include them in the referral (not the publicly released portion of said referral, of course), and then if/when they leak the DOJ will have to investigate themselves (as will the Judiciary Committees) for being the ones who leaked the returns.

[struggle4progress]

11. "for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place"

[CharleyDog]

15. To get some reality back in this bizarro Trump world, Dems have to inspect and lay bare every lie

We're not going to go along with your crazy bullshit, and we have the power, now, to make you eat your words.

[GeorgeGist]

16. Oh FFS

Let the fear begin.

[loyalsister]

17. Taxes

I have talked to people whose understanding of taxes is mostly driven by a resentment of the IRS and envy of people who can afford the kinds of accountants who can make sure they pay the minimum amount possible.

They don't care about Trump's tax returns because they know they would cheat on their taxes if they thought they wouldn't get caught. Worrying about what could happen if they were wealthy is part of the American dream.

If people see themselves as potential targets, I can see how it could backfire.

Class envy and unwelcome shifts in economic status provoke a lot of fear. Being bumped up above what is comfortable in April could be as bad as being pushed downward.

[Karadeniz]

18. OK, I'm ignorant...

Can a house committee get a grand jury, show it evidence from the tax returns, get an indictment on charges????

[Flaleftist]

20. DOJ policy is to not indict a sitting president.

For the house to such a thing would seem like the legislative branch stepping out of their territory. I don't think they can do such a thing.

The House would have to impeach, the Senate would have to convict. The charges can be pressed once he is out of office. Of course, the President who takes his place can pardon for federal crimes.

[greytdemocrat]

22. Never thought

This ploy was worth it. I guess
we'll see.

[lindysalsagal]

23. Yes, but, it will point them toward what they need to investigate: Who to question about what.

They will be leads, and this time the dems are showing they're not giving up: They'll hold hearings and submit subpoenas and judges are allowing them to prosecute.

What the idiot fears most are lawsuits where everything becomes evidence. That's when he takes the private jet to argentina.

[spanone]

24. the last paragraph starts with that ubiquitous bullshit phrase...'Some say'

if they can't name the 'some' then STFU