A judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s bid to keep his tax returns sealed and unable to be viewed by a House of Representatives Committee.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the legislative interest of Congress outweighed any deference that Trump should receive as the former president.
In his ruling, McFadden said that Trump was “wrong in the law” to make such efforts in blocking the House committee from viewing his tax returns. He continued that it was within the power of the committee and its chairman to publicly publish the returns.
Trump made history once again by becoming the first president in 40 years to refuse to release his tax returns. His grand efforts to keep his tax returns a secret show the lengths Trump will go to in order to hide details of his wealth, as well as the activities of his company, the Trump Organization.
The ruling made Tuesday was placed on a 14-day hold, which specifically permitted time for Trump and his lawyers to file an appeal.
Trump’s law team announced on Wednesday that they will be appealing the ruling. The appeal is expected to extend the uncertainty over whether the tax records will be released for months to come.
Efforts to release Trump’s tax returns have been made for years. In 2019, the House Ways and Means Committee sued in order to force disclosure of the tax returns. The case was initially brought against the Treasury Department under the Trump presidency, when the Treasury rebuffed the committee’s request for the tax returns, citing a law that explicitly permits the disclosure of an individual’s tax returns to the committee.
The panel’s chairman, Representative Richard Neal, said following Tuesday’s ruling that the ruling was “no surprise,” as the law was clearly on the committee’s side.
Be the first to comment