Posted on 06/14/2019 3:04:30 PM PDT by Cboldt
The provisions in 26 U.S.C. S: 6103 protecting confidentiality of tax returns prohibited the Department of the Treasury from complying with a request by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for the President's tax returns. The text of section 6103(f), the statutory exception under which the request was made, does not require the Committee to state any purpose for its request. But Congress could not constitutionally confer upon the Committee the right to compel the Executive Branch to disclose confidential information without a legitimate legislative purpose. Under the facts and circumstances, the Secretary of the Treasury reasonably and correctly concluded that the Committee's asserted interest in reviewing the Internal Revenue Service's audits of presidential returns was pretextual and that its true aim was to make the President's tax returns public, which is not a legitimate legislative purpose.
Because section 6103(a) prohibited the disclosure of the tax returns sought in the Chairman's request, as well as in the corresponding subpoenas, the Department of the Treasury's refusal to provide the information did not violate either 26 U.S.C. S: 7214(a)(3) or 2 U.S.C. S: 192.
(Excerpt) Read more at justice.gov ...
Now let’s subpoena the OLC’s resident Trump stooge, and hold him in contempt, and demand HIS returns! Pant. Pant. Pant. Mouth froth.
The only taxes I could even think they would be privy to would be taxes for tax years WHILE DJT has been President, and even then, I think they would need probable cause. Tax years prior to Presidency are frankly no ones business, IMVHO.
Congress has two paths it can take. Repeal the privacy law and make all tax return public records, or come up with a legislative purpose that is not pretextual, as this demand obviously is.
I agree. Basically their argument is “Our hate for Trump is enough of a cause to get his taxes”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.