House Democrats ask IRS for Trump's tax returns

[Judi Lynn]

Source: ABC News


BENJAMIN SIEGEL
ABC News April 3, 2019

House Democrats have sent their long-anticipated request to the Internal Revenue Service for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, the opening salvo in what could prove an explosive battle between Democrats and the Trump administration over the president’s personal finances that is expected to wind up in the courts.

“I today submitted to IRS Commissioner Rettig my request for six years of the president’s personal tax returns as well as the returns for some of his business entities," House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., wrote in a statement. "We have completed the necessary groundwork for a request of this magnitude and I am certain we are within our legitimate legislative, legal, and oversight rights."

Neal said that the decision to request the returns was in the interest of ensuring "the accountability of our government and elected officials. To maintain trust in our democracy, the American people must be assured that their government is operating properly, as laws intend.”

Democrats have said they would use Trump’s tax returns to inform their investigations into allegations of corruption and wrongdoing in the administration and the president’s family business.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/house-democrats-ask-treasury-trumps-tax-returns-220817792.html?.tsrc=notification-brknews

[Gothmog]

1. You beat me by one minute

I self deleted my thread on LBN

Link to tweet

[Judi Lynn]

2. That's a major pain, for sure. I'm glad you got your information on this thread. Thank you. n/t

[Gothmog]

3. I had checked before I posted and I was slow in getting the information posted

This is a Big F**** deal in my book and it needs to be discussed.

[Stuart G]

4. I think Trump will order the IRS not to give out his taxes..

Sounds kind of idiotic, but he is an idiot. I am not sure he will willingly give up his taxes. He doesn't want anyone to know, he didn't pay any taxes...(my opinion...no inside information, nothing at all)

[erlewyne]

5. Asked or demanded? (NT)

[briv1016]

6. Keep in mind, the IRS is part of the executive branch.

[Arazi]

11. And the current IRS commissioner is a Trump sycophant

Its going to be a court battle and take a while but the 1st shot has been fired

[nitpicker]

7. Link to DW

https://www.dw.com/en/us-democrats-officially-request-donald-trumps-tax-returns-from-irs/a-48194377

[DeminPennswoods]

8. Maddow did a good job of explaining the origins of the law

that allows only the heads of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees to request tax returns. It stems from the Teapot Dome Scandal back in the 1920s in which then president Warren Harding was believed to be involved. At the time only the president had the authority to request income tax returns. Because of that, Congress had no ability to perform oversight without being able to have access to income tax returns.

Here is a bit more on the Teapot Dome scandal that is a surprisingly close parallel to what's being done by the Trump family, friends and associates. https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/teapot-dome-scandal

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

9. Oh, there were many other scandals in the Harding administration

Let's start with the head of the Veterans Bureau, Charles Forbes, who was shown to have embezzled well over $200 million in three years (the total budget for the Bureau during Forbes' tenure was $1.3 billion).

But the cream of that crop was the Attorney General, Harry Daugherty.

• Daugherty blocked an investigation into the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company's $2.3 million (in 1920s dollars) overcharges on government contracts. Daugherty owned stock in Wright-Martin.

• When the warden of the Federal pen in Atlanta started to investigate narcotics dealing in the prison, Daugherty fired him and stopped the investigation. (The Superintendent of Prisons was Hardings' brother-in-law.)

• A bootlegger, Harry Remus, claimed that he paid a $250K bribe to Daugherty and two other men so that he would not be arrested or indicted. This was followed up only in the case of one of the two others, who was convicted (the other killed himself before an indictment was handed down).

• Daugherty blocked the investigation of Forbes, the aforementioned embezzling head of the Veterans Bureau.

• Daugherty tried to block the investigation into Fall's acceptance of bribes in the Teapot Dome scandal.

• Daugherty was later tried for having accepted a bribe from American Metals Corporation. It was a hung jury, with 11 jurors for conviction and one against.

• It is generally considered that the reason Daugherty did not go to prison was that Assistant Attorney General Jess Smith burned a lot of papers just before he supposedly committed suicide in Daugherty's apartment.

[DeminPennswoods]

10. Fascinating

History really does repeat itself, doesn't it?

[dalton99a]

12. .