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House Unlikely to Ever Get Trump's Tax Returns
Townhall.com ^ | May 29, 2019 | Betsy McCaughey

Posted on 05/29/2019 5:10:29 AM PDT by Kaslin

House Democrats are jubilant because last week, they won two court victories in their ongoing battle to get President Donald Trump's tax returns and decades of his personal and business banking records.

But their glee won't last long. These federal district court rulings are likely to be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump will prevail, along with taxpayer privacy and political fair play.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's history as a defender of taxpayer privacy adds to the favorable odds that Trump will win in the high court. In 1986, as an appeals court judge, Ginsburg expressed her appreciation that "taxpayer confidentiality must be jealously guarded." She stressed the importance of protecting "sensitive or otherwise personal information" in tax returns, saying privacy is "fundamental."

The House can legitimately demand information -- even a president's tax returns -- if it's needed to formulate legislation. But House Democrats could care less about legislating. They're on a fishing expedition, looking for failed deals, tax write-offs, and anything else they can use to smear Trump before the 2020 election.

The two judges, both Obama appointees, who upheld the document demands said it isn't the court's job to take into account the Democrats' "ulterior motives" or "political considerations." They're wrong. Intent matters in the law. At the height of the shameful McCarthy era, the Supreme Court smacked down the House Un-American Activities Committee for trying to expose an individual's private affairs with no other purpose than to destroy him.

Yet, now House Democrats are repeating those slimy tactics.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has concocted a phony legislative rationale for demanding Trump's tax returns. Neal claims his committee wants to make sure the IRS is thoroughly auditing Trump, as it's supposed to audit every president while in office. Neal's pretext is an obvious lie. Otherwise, he would demand only Trump's tax returns as president, not six years' worth.

Another House Democrat, Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who is chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee, makes no bones about her intentions. "Impeach Trump" are the two words that issue from her mouth whenever she's at a podium or in front of a television camera. Her committee is demanding decades' worth of banking records, including every single check and credit card swipe, by Trump and his children for many years before he became president.

Zealous anti-Trump Democrat and Oversight Committee chair Rep. Elijah Cummings subpoenaed Trump's accountants for tax records. No surprise there.

What is shocking is the gibberish that U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta offered in upholding Cummings' subpoenas. Mehta said if Congress can impeach the president, it must have the "the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct." Judge Mehta needs a refresher course. The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that Congress's investigatory powers are limited to lawmaking, not law enforcement. Count on the Justices to rule that way again.

House Dems seem hell-bent on ignoring the Constitution. Crazed by Trump's 2016 election, they are single-minded in their determination to thwart his presidency, instead of fulfilling their role, which is to legislate. The deluge of subpoenas and ongoing investigations by the House Democrats is an attack on our constitutional system and an insult to the public. We've got a country to run, but these fanatical anti-Trump Dems would rather sabotage the president.

Albany Democrats are off their rockers, too. Last Wednesday, they passed a bill to hand over the state tax filings of President Trump -- a New York resident -- to the congressional committees seeking them.

An early version of the legislation named only Trump -- an obvious violation of the U.S. Constitution's Article I, Section 9 -- which prohibits any law intended to target one individual. So the Dems tacked on a few other officeholders. Even so, this venomous law won't survive a constitutional challenge.

The New York bill shows how low Albany Democrats will stoop to do the party's dirty work. State Senate Republican Leader John Flanagan said the bill reflected the Democrats' "utterly displaced priorities." Add a lack of respect for taxpayer privacy and the Constitution -- the same sick attitude afflicting Dems in D.C.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: housedemonrats; presidenttrump

1 posted on 05/29/2019 5:10:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s history as a defender of taxpayer privacy adds to the favorable odds that Trump will win in the high court. In 1986, as an appeals court judge, Ginsburg expressed her appreciation that “taxpayer confidentiality must be jealously guarded.” She stressed the importance of protecting “sensitive or otherwise personal information” in tax returns, saying privacy is “fundamental.””

Yeah, right. I remember the Fraud’s views “evolving” regarding anything he wanted to do to America about anything.


2 posted on 05/29/2019 5:14:15 AM PDT by treetopsandroofs
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To: Kaslin

Oh...they WILL get them, come HELL or HIGH WATER!


3 posted on 05/29/2019 5:16:52 AM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: Kaslin

Counting on a leftist judge to choose principles over something that advances leftism is like counting on an alligator to choose eating a nice healthy salad over eating you.


4 posted on 05/29/2019 5:17:05 AM PDT by pepsi_junkie (Often wrong, but never in doubt!)
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To: Kaslin

They will get them, and it will be an inside job.


5 posted on 05/29/2019 5:20:03 AM PDT by CatOwner
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To: pepsi_junkie

Ditto. I don’t trust Ginsburg in the least. If the court were to protect the President, it would be a tight 5-4, IMHO.


6 posted on 05/29/2019 5:20:30 AM PDT by BadLands59
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To: treetopsandroofs
Agree. RBG will ignore all judicial precedent to stick it to President Trump. In fact if RBG was ethically honest (a big IF), she would recuse herself from rendering judgement on Trump's tax returns based on her publicly expressed feelings toward President Trump.
7 posted on 05/29/2019 5:25:12 AM PDT by freedom1st (Build the Wall)
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To: Kaslin

Right off the bat, any request for personal info would be met with the same... ‘you want Trump’s taxes?, after you give yours.’ ‘How did you make your millions since being in Washington?’

You want personal?.. you first. You and your family.


8 posted on 05/29/2019 5:28:39 AM PDT by frnewsjunkie
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To: CatOwner
I'm sure they've already seen them.

Their problem is two-fold:

1. They can't make any public statements about it because there's a big difference between "seeing them" and "seeing them in a way that we can say so."

2. There's absolutely no information of any kind in those tax returns that would incriminate Trump in any way. That's why the Democrats don't actually WANT the tax returns to be made public. As long as they are not public, the Democrats can make sh!t up about what "might" be in them.

9 posted on 05/29/2019 5:30:19 AM PDT by Alberta's Child (“Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” — Frederick Douglass)
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To: Alberta's Child
I think the RATs prefer to not be able to see his returns. I think the RATs will distract voters by claiming Trump's refusal to share his returns is proof he's done something wrong.

I think the RATs know there's nothing amiss in Trump's returns, since the IRS has been already been examining them with microscopic obsession for decades.

But, RAT voters are too stupid and lethargic and lazy and stoned on smoking weed to know the difference.

RAT politicians sure know their audience.

10 posted on 05/29/2019 5:41:29 AM PDT by LouAvul
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To: CatOwner

We are now into Witch Hunt 2.


11 posted on 05/29/2019 5:48:21 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Kaslin
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has concocted a phony legislative rationale for demanding Trump's tax returns. Neal claims his committee wants to make sure the IRS is thoroughly auditing Trump, as it's supposed to audit every president while in office. Neal's pretext is an obvious lie. Otherwise, he would demand only Trump's tax returns as president, not six years' worth.

Howie Carr said on his radio show a couple of weeks ago that a local paper in Neal's district has been trying to get his tax returns for years -- hypocrisy, thy name is Democrat!

12 posted on 05/29/2019 5:53:57 AM PDT by maryz
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To: Kaslin

They have them now its just the can’t “use” them.


13 posted on 05/29/2019 5:54:04 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Kaslin

If they want his tax returns, then fine so be it..... Just as long as they understand that THEIR tax returns get released along with all documentation of the payoffs from that congressional hush fund, etc.


14 posted on 05/29/2019 5:55:13 AM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (I survive on Caffeine & Hate & sometimes Whiskey.)
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To: 2CAVTrooper

ALL politicians, their “foundations” and their extended families should have to make their tax records public. Much corruption and crime is hidden in the “foundations” and in the extended families of these criminals.


15 posted on 05/29/2019 6:00:31 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: Kaslin

The RATs enjoyed eight years of unbridled power over the Executive levers (especially the IRS and Intelligence), which they gleefully used to investigate and destroy political opponents. It’s driving the House of Representatives nuts that the power is gone, so they’re desperately trying to pretend it’s still there.


16 posted on 05/29/2019 6:12:48 AM PDT by COBOL2Java (AOC: The brain of a tea bisquit)
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To: Kaslin

There isn’t ONE person in Congress who can tell if the IRS made any mistakes in auditing Trump.

I still have this challenge:

Any member of Congress can publicly tell me what are the various kinds of DEPRECIATION which are accepted by Accounting Standards. ???


17 posted on 05/29/2019 10:56:44 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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