Former President Donald Trump’s taxes will be released to Congress, the Justice Department ruled.
The DOJ concluded in an opinion issued on Friday that the House Ways and Means Committee’s request was legitimate, although the matter has yet to make its way through the federal court system.
Recommended Stories
FIRST AFGHAN EVACUEES HEAD TO US
“We conclude that the Secretary must comply with the Ways and Means Committee’s June 16, 2021 request pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6103(f)(1) to furnish the Committee with the specified tax returns and related tax information,” Dawn Johnsen, the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, wrote.
House Democrats had sought eight years of the former president’s tax returns, though Trump successfully fought back on those efforts during his tenure, which included a legal battle over access to the documents from the Treasury Department and the IRS.
“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,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said in a statement.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also celebrated the decision, calling it “a victory for the run of law.”
“Access to former President Trump’s tax returns is a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president,” she added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Justice Department ruled that the House investigation “plainly serves legitimate legislative objectives, even if some individual legislators might have other reasons for wanting access to the information.”
Ronald Fischetti, Trump’s attorney, said on Monday his client objects to the release. A U.S. district judge asked lawyers for Trump and the DOJ to appear Wednesday to decide on a path forward for arguments.
