A US federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that a House committee has the right to look at former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, marking the end of a long soap opera.
The House Ways and Means Committee has launched legal proceedings to compel Donald Trump, a tenant of the White House, to submit his tax returns in 2019. Unusually, Donald Trump refused to turn over the documents, embroiling himself in a legal battle that lasted nineteen months after his mandate.
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals held that the House committee’s motion was reasonable in the context of its work, that it did not violate the principle of separation of powers, and that it respected the U.S. Constitution. Via Twitter, the House Ways and Means Committee is expected to “immediately receive the requested tax returns and audit documents.”
After a district judge last December rejected Donald Trump’s appeal to withhold documents, he argued that Congress’s legislative interest outweighed any deference Trump might receive as a former president.
The Republican president is the first White House tenant in 40 years to refuse to release his tax records, seeking to keep details of his wealth and the operations of his family business, the Trump Organization, secret.