WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the imminent handover of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns to a congressional committee after a three-year legal fight.
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The court, without comment, rejected Trump’s plea for an order that would have prevented the Treasury Department from giving six years of tax returns for Trump and some of his businesses to the Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee.
It was Trump’s second loss at the Supreme Court in as many months, and third this year. In October, the court refused to step into the legal fight surrounding the FBI search of Trump’s Florida estate that turned up classified documents.
In January, the court refused to stop the National Archives from turning over documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Justice Clarence Thomas was the only vote in Trump’s favor.
In the dispute over his tax returns, the Treasury Department had refused to provide the records during Trump’s presidency. But the Biden administration said federal law is clear that the committee has the right to examine any taxpayer’s return, including the president’s.
Lower courts agreed that the committee has broad authority to obtain tax returns and rejected Trump’s claims that it was overstepping and only wanted the documents so they could be made public.
Chief Justice John Roberts imposed a temporary freeze on Nov. 1 to allow the court to weigh the legal issues raised by Trump’s lawyers and the counter arguments of the administration and the House of Representatives.
Just over three weeks later, the court lifted Roberts’ order with no noted dissents.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The House contended an order preventing the IRS from providing the tax returns would leave lawmakers “little or no time to complete their legislative work during this Congress, which is quickly approaching its end.”
Had Trump persuaded the nation’s highest court to intervene, he could have run out the clock on the committee, with Republicans ready to take control of the House in January. They almost certainly would have dropped the records request if the issue had not been resolved by then.
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.
This is really getting out of control !!! How many years they will investigate this man ? It’s obviously political so he won’t be able to run for office , I wish these dems would drop dead already
Ok GOP , you got the House. Now go after the Biden syndicate and demand all tax returns. Let’s go.
To all Trump haters he did more for the people than any other president’s in history!! Trump 2024
While it’s true that no one is above the law, it’s also true that no one is below the law. The dems are using political tactics to scare off all opposition.
So VIN is going to cover up the fact that Carlos Marcello was behind the mafia take down of JFK?
I’m not saying Trump is a bad candidate but if the race is between Trump & Heshy Tischler I’d have a very hard decision to make.
Trump is fighting for all of Is and the left hate it !!! He is on the middle of it !!
Now at last President Trump can clear his name and show us all what a rich, honest man he is.
these DemocRATS don’t give up – this is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS – they s/b servicing the American citizens that elected them to their position – look at the BORDER – the ILLEGALS coming in – INFLATION – CRIME all over, etc etc
Just wondering when the new congress requested the tax return on Biden’s. Will yhry rule same way Or protect the cheat in charge
We Yidden must restrain ourselves from any negative comments about President Trump. הכרת הטוב mandates that. Let’s sit this one out in silence.
when will we see the full records of the anti frum hate org, yaffed? which charities did they parasitically mooch and shnorr off of and how much? How much was executive salary for spreading anti frum hate? how comes the only records i found on charity navigator are from many years ago? who decided that they are a non profit? we need answers