The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected former President Donald Trump’s last-ditch plea to block the release of his tax records to House Democrats, paving the way for their possible disclosure to the lawmakers.
The decision by the court in a brief order noting no dissenting votes means the committee can try to access the documents ahead of the Republican take-over of the House in January. The committee, however, has not said how quickly it expects to get the documents. Upon taking control, Republicans are expected to withdraw the request.
Earlier this month, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked the Ways and Means panel from accessing Trump’s tax records while the court decided how to act on Trump’s request.
[Not surprising. The controlling statute clearly gives the Ways and Means chair the authority to request any specific tax returns for legislative purposes, which is at the discretion of the chair. Privacy laws apply otherwise, so any leaks are potentially prosecutable, although that would be highly complicated by constitutional issues. This was always a quixotic effort, and intended more to run out the clock on this session of Congress. — Ed]
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.