The House Ways and Means Committee is reportedly planning to release a redacted version of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns later this week, giving public access to long-awaited information related to the former president’s financial records.
The committee is expected to release the trove of documents on Friday, according to reports. Initial details indicated the materials could be published as soon as Tuesday afternoon, but journalist Pablo Manriquez later reported the release could be delayed, after the House Clerk’s office had not confirmed the receipt of the documents. A spokesperson for the House Ways and Means Committee has not responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.
TRUMP’S TAXES RELEASED: FOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS AFTER OBSESSED-OVER INFO FINALLY MADE PUBLIC
The anticipated release comes one week after the panel voted 24-16 to release six years of Trump’s tax returns to the broader House of Representatives after a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill. House Democrats gained access to the records earlier this month, seeking to examine whether the IRS audit of the former president was conducted “fully and appropriately.”
NEW: HOUSE WAYS & MEANS TO PUBLISH TRUMP’S REDACTED TAX RETURNS MIDDAY TOMORROW ?
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) December 27, 2022
House Democrats scrambled to get their hands on Trump’s tax returns to release to the public before the end of the year, seeking to accomplish the yearslong goal before the party cedes control of the lower chamber to Republicans next week. The records also come at a critical time for Trump as he seeks a third White House bid and attempts to fight off a handful of criminal investigations.
Trump has long fought against the release of his tax returns, both while he was in office and after he left. However, his efforts were shot down by the Supreme Court last month when it ruled the House Ways and Means Committee could have access to them.
While in office, Trump repeatedly claimed his returns were under IRS audits, in an attempt to justify his refusal to release the records to the public. While it was not mandatory to release his tax returns, Trump’s actions broke with a yearslong tradition that saw presidents voluntarily releasing their records to the public.
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The Joint Committee on Taxation posted a separate report online shortly after the full committee voted to release Trump’s financial records, publishing an initial report that showed that the IRS failed to conduct annual audits of Trump’s tax returns while he was in office.
Throughout the course of Trump’s term, the IRS only began one audit, which wasn’t completed before he left the White House in 2021, the panel found. It’s unclear why the audits were never conducted, and the report does not suggest Trump pressured the agency.
