House Democrats Fail To Compel Disclosure Of Trump’s Tax Returns

March 29--WASHINGTON -- Republicans resoundingly defeated a New Jersey Democrat's ploy to compel the Internal Revenue Service to disclose Donald Trump's tax returns over the president's objections.

In a 24-16 party-line vote Tuesday, the GOP-controlled Ways and Means Committee rejected U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell's effort, which leaders characterized as a politically motivated abuse of a procedural tool.

Mr. Pascrell's "resolution of inquiry" would have required the Treasury Department to provide the committee with 10 years of Mr. Trump's tax returns and financial documents showing foreign debts and investments, tax shelters, "tax avoidance maneuvers" and corporate structures.

"Donald Trump has refused as a candidate and as a president to release his tax returns, which begs the question: What is he hiding?" Mr. Pascrell said before Tuesday's committee vote.

He said it is increasingly important to know what's in the tax returns because of new evidence that Trump associates "colluded" with the Russian government.

"We have the authority. We have the cause. With all conflicts we know about -- and those we don't -- we must gather all the information we can," he said. "Will we continue to hide the president's secrets [and] bury our heads in the sand?"

The White House had no immediate response, but committee Republicans had plenty to say, noting it would be unprecedented for Ways and Means to wade into tax returns of someone not tied to the committee's jurisdiction.

"If Congress chooses to use this power to single out President Trump for political purposes, invade his privacy, and seize his confidential tax information, what prevents Congress from doing the same to other Americans?" said committee chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas. "Civil liberties and privacy are still rights worth protecting, and I intend to protect them."

U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, an accountant, said Mr. Pascrell was "railing about things that you would never find on a tax return," that his resolution was politically motivated, and that Mr. Trump had already filed a financial disclosure form.

That began a heated back-and-forth with Mr. Pascrell.

"For you to accuse me of doing this for political reasons, you are 100 percent wrong," Mr. Pascrell said. "Our constituents are demanding transparency. You're giving me complicity."

He said tax forms do provide the sort of information he is seeking, including lists of financial assets, foreign partnerships and foreign gifts that may reveal conflicts of interest.

"We already have substantial reason to believe that he may owe his job to Vladimir Putin," Mr. Pascrell said. "We ought to at least know whether he has financial dealings with the Russians, with the Chinese, with any other foreign government, with oligarchs in those nations."

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., jumped to Mr. Pascrell's defense in angry remarks directed toward Republicans.

Politics "is not our motivation. Our motivation is to find the truth. It's not about the politics. I know it's uncomfortable," he said. "If the president is not being controlled by foreign [entities] he can prove that by releasing all of his returns and financial statements like every other president since Richard Nixon has done."

During the campaign, Mr. Trump said he would disclose his tax returns after an audit was complete, but after the election, his spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway said he no longer intended to release them.

"We litigated this all through the election. People didn't care. They voted for him," she said after he won.

Democrats say the tax documents could provide clues to Trump's business dealings, including evidence that he is receiving emoluments -- money or gifts -- from foreign governments.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said Ways and Means is uniquely empowered to review tax returns, and it should in light of national security implications. A review could expose the president's conflicts as the White House proposes tax reforms that could substantially benefit Mr. Trump, he said.

U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, R-Delaware County, said he would like the president to voluntarily release his tax returns, but the committee should not compel it.

"This American citizen has a voluntary opportunity but not an obligation. He's choosing not to volunteer to do it -- not withstanding that all his predecessors have done it and people don't like it," Mr. Meehan said.

He said Mr. Pascrell is looking to "kick the door in, let the cops get in the house and rip it apart to see if we can find a little evidence. And once we get that evidence then we'll see if we can get something on this guy and then we'll lock him up."

He said the committee should not engage in that sort of witch hunt.

"We don't do things like that in America," he said.

Washington Bureau Chief Tracie Mauriello: tmauriello@post-gazette.co, 703-996-9292 or on Twitter @pgPoliTweets.

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