The Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request from Trump’s lawyers to prevent the tax documents from being sent to the House Treasury Committee. The Republican had used legal means for years to prevent the documents from being turned over to the Democrat-led committee and ultimately failed at the highest level. Democrats welcomed the decision.
Contrary to common practice in the United States, real estate entrepreneur Trump did not make his tax returns public, either as a presidential candidate or after taking office in the White House. Critics therefore suspect that he has something to hide. Trump announced last week that he would run again as the Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
The Finance Committee in the House of Representatives has been trying for years to get hold of the documents. During the Trump administration, the Treasury Department initially stood in the way. It wasn’t until the administration of successor Joe Biden last year that the Treasury Department finally instructed the IRS to hand over the documents to the committee. Trump fought back in court, trying different instances until the only option left was to go to the US Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court initially stopped releasing the documents in early November at the urgent request of Trump’s lawyers and gave both sides an opportunity to comment. Ultimately, however, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the papers to be made public.
It’s a last-minute success for the committee: Since Republicans won the majority in the US midterm elections and will be in charge there from early January, the Democrat-led body has little time to do anything about it. The committee’s persistence has paid off, said its chairman, Democrat Richard Neal. “The commission will now exercise the oversight we have sought for the past three and a half years.”
Outgoing Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House of Congress looks forward to “receiving and reviewing these documents as soon as possible.” The court’s decision strengthens democracy and Congress’s ability to exercise its oversight responsibilities.
Trump is currently embroiled in several legal disputes — including over taking secret government documents to his private estate after leaving the White House. In view of her new presidential ambitions, the US Justice Department has turned the ongoing investigations into the hands of an outside special investigator.
(SDA)