In another final-hour move before ceding control to Republicans in Congress, the Democratic majority House Ways and Means Committee determined the future of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns in a closed-door meeting and claimed, “This is not about being punitive.”
For as long as Trump has been in the political spotlight, the left has clamored for access to his financial records, and Tuesday, a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruled they would be made accessible to the legislature, a vote was cast to make them public.
Under the leadership of committee chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the House Ways and Means Committee met late Tuesday for a closed-door meeting lasting approximately four hours which led to a 24-16 vote in favor of releasing six years of the president’s tax returns at an as yet undetermined date.
In a press release from the committee, Neal contended, “Ways and Means is entrusted with great responsibilities. Today, the weight of our job is heavy. Congress serves as a check on the Executive Branch, and our Committee is entrusted with oversight of our revenue system.”
Chairman @RepRichardNeal: "Ways and Means is entrusted with great responsibilities. Today, the weight of our job is heavy. Congress serves as a check on the Executive Branch, and our Committee is entrusted with oversight of our revenue system."
— Ways and Means Democrats (@WaysMeansCmte) December 21, 2022
The Massachusetts Democrat claimed, “This is not about being punitive. This is not about being malicious. This is about the presidency. Not the president.”
The initial release included the 39-page report compiled by the Joint Committee on Taxation dated Dec. 15, 2022, summarizing the materials received between Nov. 30 and Dec. 11, 2022. “The following discussion only includes a summary of noteworthy issues based on our review of such materials that we believe would have warranted examination.”
Commenting on the vote, committee member Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) defended the decision saying, “I think people understand the weight of this decision. It’s serious to release tax returns, but this is not based on any individual tax returns. This is the releasing of the tax returns for one of the most powerful individuals anywhere on the globe.”
Meanwhile, ranking member Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) who will be taking charge of the committee at the beginning of the 118th Congress blasted the move by Democrats using the slippery slope argument.
“Longstanding privacy protections for all taxpayers have been compromised,” he said during a press conference before the meeting. “Going forward, the majority chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will have nearly unlimited power to target and make public the tax returns of private citizens.”
Kevin Brady (R-TX) warns that releasing Trump’s tax returns could lead to the release of tax returns of Supreme Court Justices pic.twitter.com/ggwOPFKvFj
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 20, 2022
“And not just private citizens: political enemies, business and labor leaders or even the returns of Supreme Court justices themselves. No party in Congress should have that power,” Brady expressed. “No individuals should have that power. It’s a power to embarrass, to harass or destroy Americans through disclosure of their tax returns.”
Emphasizing the politics behind the move from the left, conservative radio hosts Andrew Wilkow and David Webb offered some commentary as to what Democrats are willing to turn a blind eye to in their pursuit of Trump.
The people who are excited to see the #TrumpTaxReturns are the same people who ignored the #HunterBidensLaptop story.
— Andrew Wilkow (@WilkowMajority) December 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/davidwebbshow/status/1605293949924659222
Likewise, the GOP members contrasted their handling of the 2014 investigation of the IRS’s Lois Lerner, who had been a central figure in the agency’s targeting of conservative groups during President Barack Obama’s administration, and noted, “Fact Check: Dems’ partisan weaponization of tax code against political enemies serves no legislative purpose.”
Fact Check: Dems' partisan weaponization of tax code against political enemies serves no legislative purpose.
By contrast: 2014 investigation of Lois Lerner, IRS:
* Evidence of wrongdoing at outset
* 10 month investigation
* Bipartisan access to materials
* Narrow public release— Ways and Means Committee (@WaysandMeansGOP) December 20, 2022
At the time of this posting, the former president had not issued a statement on the committee’s decision.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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