Progressive group launches petition to urge Dems to investigate Trump's taxes

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BY NAOMI JAGODA - 11/12/18 12:52 PM EST

A progressive group on Monday launched a petition to urge congressional Democrats to investigate President Trump's tax returns, as House Democrats prepare to request the documents from the Treasury Department next year when they are in the majority.

The petition launched by CREDO Action comes less than a week after Democrats won control of the House in the midterm elections. It calls on congressional Democrats to take advantage of the election results to "investigate Donald Trump's taxes – including alleged tax fraud, compromising foreign and domestic financial ties, and how he might be illegally profiting from his government position – and pass anti-corruption legislation that forces all future candidates to release their tax returns."

As of 12:45 p.m. Monday, more than 24,000 people had signed the petition.

Trump is the first president in decades to refuse to release his tax returns. He has said he won't make them public while under audit by the IRS, but the tax agency has said that nothing prevents people from releasing their own tax information.

https://thehill.com/policy/finance/416258-progressive-group-launches-petition-to-urge-dems-to-investigate-trumps-taxes

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Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who is expected to become chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee next year, said he plans to request Trump's tax returns, though he also expects that will lead to a fight with the administration in court.

Republicans have questioned whether it's smart politics for Democrats to seek Trump's tax returns, arguing that there could be backlash from "presidential harassment." But Democrats have said they would be careful during any review of the returns.

That's a new one "presidential harassment"........................... ...................your "guy" harasses everyone.........he's republican.....................


Hey, Republicans you have a question if it's smart politics for Democrats.....................let me give you a clue as to why this is smart.......................400 million in tax fraud in New York alone........................figure it out yet, democrats have................

And if you think this is "presidential harassment"..............he made his bed, just like you do, the public is not going to fall for your garbage this time.................we want answers, which your fascist party and some in the media never did provide...............except cover, and trying to do it now..................not going to happen this time.


And oh yeah, I signed the petition.......................

[Bfd]

1. Speaker Pelosi's already on it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/democrats-trump-tax-returns/amp

According to MSNBC’s Ari Melber, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal, has already said he intends to request Trump’s returns as soon as he takes control of the committee.

That fits with House leader Nancy Pelosi’s assertion to the San Francisco Chronicle last month, that obtaining the president’s returns would be “one of the first things we’d do” upon flipping the House. “That’s the easiest thing in the world,” she added. “That’s nothing. We have to have the truth.” Pelosi was referring to a 1924 provision of the Internal Revenue Code that gives the the House Ways and Means Committee the ability to commandeer a taxpayer’s records for confidential review—something that can be done without full approval from the House and Senate.

Despite having this power for nearly 100 years, Congress has rarely ever used it. One time they did? In 1974, while investigating Richard Nixon’s returns, which is how they determined he was, in fact, a crook.

The one potential stumbling block is the fact that the House would have to go through Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, though at this point he’s said he’ll comply with the law, telling The New York Times, “If they win the House and there is a request, we will work with our general counsel and the I.R.S. general counsel on any requests.”
And then, of course, there’s the giant orange stumbling block who probably isn’t about to just turn over documents he’s steadfastly refused to reveal for nearly three years now. Speaking to CNN on Monday, Trump said, of Democrats going after his returns, “I don’t care. They can do whatever they want, and I can do whatever I want.”