An attorney for Trump Friday blasted rabid Democrats gunning for the President’s tax returns, calling their request “a misguided attempt” to politicize tax laws and the IRS.
William Consovoy said in a statement that lawmakers are harassing the president and interfering in the audit process, Reuters reported.
“The requests for his private tax information are not consistent with governing law, do not advance any proper legislative purpose, and threaten to interfere with the ordinary conduct of audits,” Consovoy said.
“We are confident that this misguided attempt to politicize the administration of the tax laws will not succeed,” he said.
The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), sent a letter to the IRS Wednesday demanding President Trump’s tax returns for 2013 through 2018 as well as for several of Trump’s businesses.
Trump responded to reporters’ inquiries about the Democrats’ request for the last six years of his tax returns on Wednesday.
“Is that all?” Trump said to reporter on Wednesday who brought up the Dems request for the last 6 years of his tax returns. Trump said that the Democrats are giving up because they usually ask for the last 10 years of his tax returns.
“We’re under audit,” Trump continued. “Despite what people said and we’re working that out — I’m always under audit it seems — I’ve been under audit for many years because the numbers are big and guess when you have a name, you’re audited.”
“Until such time that I’m not under audit, I would not be inclined to do that,” Trump said
The House Democrats launched an investigation into President Trump’s tax returns in February.
Currently there is no law requiring a presidential candidate release their tax returns, but the Democrats don’t care about laws — they want to harass President Trump.
A hearing of a Ways and Means oversight subcommittee in February was meant to begin building a legal case that Trump withholding his tax returns was potentially hiding violations of federal tax laws therefore compromising US interests.
The Democrats argued in the hearing that they have legal authority to invoke an obscure provision in the federal code that allows the Chairman of the committee to access private tax information, reported the New York Times.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), was working with the House’s general counsel, Doug Letter, to build a legal argument that will withstand a court challenge, according to the Times.
