Slight correction. Any relationship could constitute a conflict. That’s why it needs to be open to scrutiny by Congress.
Oh for, the same principals apply, congress cannot violate the privacy rights of people without there being a legitimate legislative purpose, that applies to compelling testimony and seizing their personal papers.
Law enforcement is not a congressional power. oversight has a purpose, fishing for criminal activity and political dirt are not among them. The purpose of oversight is to inform the congress if the executive is applying the laws as the congress intended when it wrote them so that the congress can clarify and or change the law to ensure their intent is met. Sans impeachment. investigating possible criminal activity by any individual is the purview of the executive.
Congressional committees can and have requested Trump’s returns… they can do that. Trump is contesting whether or not this intrusion on his 4th amendment right req is part of a legitimate oversight activity… he can do that. It will go to the courts unless some agreement is made between Trump and the Congress. If it goes to the courts the Congress will have to explain why they specifically need Trump’s returns to perform oversight, why they could not do it without having his specific returns, and why they need returns prior to his being elected President.
"The House Committee on Ways and Means has scheduled a hearing on February 7, 2019,
regarding legislative proposals and tax law relating to Presidential and Vice Presidential tax
returns. This document,1 prepared by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, provides an
overview of the confidentiality and disclosure of Federal tax returns."
https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=startdown&id=5159
Do legislative proposals and tax laws relating to Presidential and Vice Presidential tax returns qualify as a legislative purpose? Doesn’t congress decide what returns are confidential and which ones aren’t?
Just an aside, Trump claims his taxes are under audit and he can’t release them. So how long is that now? Almost four years under audit? Does anyone believe that excuse anymore?
Pfft
from Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
President Donald Trump’s tax returns, which he has refused to make public, can’t be obtained by a non-profit organization using the Freedom of Information Act, the federal appeals court in Washington ruled.
The information is shielded by a taxpayer privacy law passed after President Richard Nixon tried to use the Internal Revenue Service to harass his political enemies, Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson said in an opinion Tuesday, upholding a lower-court ruling against a FOIA request by the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
With “certain limited exceptions” contained in the law, “no one can demand to inspect another’s tax records,” Henderson wrote, for a unanimous three-judge panel of the court.
He doesn’t need an excuse, none of your beeswax would suffice.
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I didn’t say that. I said that Steele either paid Russians OR he told Simpson that he paid Russians because Simpson HIRED him to contact Russians for their knowledge of these things.
And If you read that, you know I’m right.
There is NO WAY around this. Simpson was trying to get information FROM RUSSIANS for the Clinton campaign and he used Steele as his intermediary for that.
M
NO.
He never said he can’t release them.
He said his lawyers advised AGAINST releasing them while he is under audit and he is taking their advice.
M
How long is he under audit? It’s been years. I guess we can put you in the column of believing that excuse?
And yet there is no impeachment. Congress can’t just go randomly through every private document of any President of an opposing party on the hope that they may run across some random thing.
If this is for impeachment, then start the impeachment process.
He is audited every year.
You can put me in the column of believing his tax returns are none of your business, if he cares to keep them from you, as long as the IRS finds them legal. Since they audit him every year, they have plenty of opportunities to do their job and check him out.
If that means you won’t vote for him then don’t vote for him. It’s still none of your business.
M
is there an impeachment underway we’re unaware of that they need the records for? If the records are in fact government records then the courts are all wrong in assuming they’d be protected under the 4th amendment. you should let them know.
the congress does not determine any such thing. even they can only receive the returns in closed executive session and cannot by law divulge the information. Having any special law regarding only the President and VP would seem on its face highly questionable from a constitutional standpoint.
I take it you didn’t read the history of tax privacy in the report I linked. The Supreme Court has already ruled that CONGRESS determines the privacy of tax information.
The Democrat Politicians believe that they are the LAW, in the United States of America!
You respect what they have to say or else!!!
Therefore, they can break laws, and overthrow them, or make new ones, even
if it is unethical, and even if it is illegal what they’re doing. Unfortunately, the coward
swamp Republican has let them get away with this for over 55+ years.
Yep. Now the Dems have told the IRS they have until April 23rd to hand over the President’s tax return’s or else!!!
Geez. You give these people a little powa and the turn into crazed tyrants.
[quote=“BlueTex, post:631, topic:172770, full:true”]
[quote]I take it you didn’t read the history of tax privacy in the report I linked. The Supreme Court has already ruled that CONGRESS determines the privacy of tax information.
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/268/378/ [/quote]
And around and around we go…until the Supreme Court actually decides…likely several years in the future.
The author appears to be unaware that the house ways and means committee has been laying the groundwork for the legislative purpose argument since January… Hence this report published in Feb…
https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=download&id=5159&chk=5159&no_html=1
I’m not sure who is more afraid of Donald Trump’s taxes being seen by House Oversight. Donald Trump himself or Donald Trump voters.
Maybe it’s because deep down Donald Trump’s voters know he’s crooked and if his taxes or finances are investigated they will look like idiots for voting for him. Maybe a pride thing?
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