The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) says former President Donald Trump’s tax returns should be released by the IRS to Congress.
The DOJ issued a memo on Friday ordering the Treasury Department to release Trump’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee. The committee is led by Democrats.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Dawn Johnsen wrote in a memo from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), “The statute at issue here is unambiguous: ‘Upon written request’ of the chairman of one of the three congressional tax committees, the Secretary ‘shall furnish’ the requested tax information to the Committee.”
It continued, “Applying the proper degree of deference due the Committee, we believe that there is ample basis to conclude that its June 2021 Request for former President Trump’s tax information would further the Committee’s principal stated objective of assessing the IRS’s presidential audit program—a plainly legitimate area for congressional inquiry and possible legislation.”
The chair of the committee, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), reacted, “As I have maintained for years, the Committee’s case is very strong and the law is on our side. I am glad that the Department of Justice agrees and that we can move forward.”
House Ways and Means Chair Neal:
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 30, 2021
"As I have maintained for years, the Committee's case is very strong and the law is on our side. I am glad that the Department of Justice agrees and that we can move forward."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly responded to the news, writing in a statement on Friday, “Today, the Biden Administration has delivered a victory for the rule of law, as it respects the public interest by complying with Chairman Neal’s request for Donald Trump’s tax returns. As Speaker, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I applaud Chairman Neal for his dignified pursuit of the truth and the Biden Administration Department of Justice for its respect for the law.”
The House speaker said that access to Trump’s tax returns “is a matter of national security,” adding, “The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president.”
“The House will always fight to expose the truth For The People,” Pelosi added.