Breaking, Barr Tells Congress They Are Not Getting Trump’s Taxes

thefederalistPAPERS ^ | 6/14/2019 | reuters

[bitt]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did not violate the law by refusing to provide President Donald Trump’s tax returns to Congress because the confidentiality of returns is protected under the law, the Justice Department said in a legal opinion released on Friday.

Federal law “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,” a department official said in the opinion provided to the Treasury Department.

The memorandum from Assistant Attorney General Steven Engel, who heads the Office of Legal Counsel, supports the position already taken by the Treasury Department. It is likely to draw fire from Democrats in Congress who have argued the legal reasoning is misguided.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal had issued a subpoena demanding the administration turn over six years of Trump’s returns. He has said he is likely to try to enforce the subpoena by going to court.

The administration has been refusing to cooperate with a number of congressional probes of Trump, his family and his presidency, with the fight over his tax returns just one example.

“While the Executive Branch should accord due deference and respect to congressional requests, Treasury was not obliged to accept the committee’s stated purpose without question, and based on all the facts and circumstances, we agreed that the committee lacked a legitimate legislative purpose for its request,” Engel wrote.

“This is a pretty aggressive argument from DOJ, basically saying that Congress is lying about its purpose for wanting the president’s tax returns and that as a result, the IRS need not provide them even though the statute doesn’t require Congress to have *any* reason,” USA Today reporter Brad Heath Said.

[dp0622]

agreed 100 percent.

But at the VERY LEAST, insane bills passed i the house are DOA in the senate.

I’ll take the little things at this point.

[Flick Lives]

“This is a pretty aggressive argument from DOJ, basically saying that Congress is lying about its purpose for wanting the president’s tax returns and that as a result, the IRS need not provide them even though the statute doesn’t require Congress to have *any* reason,” USA Today reporter Brad Heath Said.

Why in the hell is a reporter's opinion being reported as part of the news story?

[fortheDeclaration]

Sessons would have happily turned them over.

[etcb]

Regardless of what court this goes to, they will have to consider that the law as they interpret it will not just be applicable to President Trump. If it is found that there is an unfettered right for Congress to receive anyone’s tax return, there will be no privacy in tax matters. All members of Congress, the Judiciary, business and individuals will be vulnerable.

[Bonemaker]

“...basically saying that Congress is lying about its purpose for wanting the president’s tax returns...”

Well...yeah.

[Nifster]

Good. It’s a fishing expedition

[Windflier]

"...the committee lacked a legitimate legislative purpose for its request,” Engel wrote.

Exactly. The congressional Dems had better come up with a damn good reason for wanting to see the President's tax returns, if they want to see them released. And it had better be with the President's permission - not some court order.

[Pearls Before Swine]

It’s a sticking point, but clearly much more for Republicans than Demo a rats.

After all, the President is head of the Executive Branch, which includes the DOJ, and the President is charged with seeing that the laws are enforced. How can this prohibit communication?

Of course, that doesn’t m5 the President can manipulate the DOJ for his own purposes.

[justa-hairyape]

Congress should be lucky at this point that they still have paychecks. Over 20 trillion in debt and they have the nerve to ask Trump for his financial records. Lol.

[upchuck]

The headline is a lie. Article does not mention Barr at all.

[upchuck]

That’s very old news. Dated April 10.

[RitaOK]

<<< “at the VERY LEAST, insane bills passed in the house are DOA in the senate.” >>>

You do have a point. They (US Senate) have held ground and have secured HIS remarkable judges, while giving Trump nothing on policy since his inauguration, where they sat stone faced counting sheep. Makes me wonder about these toothless RINOS, just what they will do with his Re-Election. Sit around like damp oatmeal, stone faced?

[Revel]

The DOJ needs to charge congress with conspiracy to commit a crime.

[RitaOK]

Give ‘em hell, Eddie. The entrenched RINOS and the Party apparatus waddled across the aisle and gave it up some time ago. Perhaps as far back as when they ran DOLE against Clinton. Dole’s day was so long gone and there he was, as exciting for the conservative base as a coffin nail.

That is when many of us recognized something wasn’t right at the top of the party. Now it’s darn near the entire Senate.

[McGruff]

Charlie Daniels @CharlieDaniels

Why does congress have the rights to Trump’s tax returns when they apparently didn’t even have the rights to Obama’s college records.

10:28 AM · Jun 15, 2019

[unixfox]

Wouldn’t surprise me if one those “good people” at the IRS decided to leak them. POS that they are, all of them.

[dp0622]

Yes they will do the VERY LEAST again, I am afraid.

[blueyon]

OK BUT WHAT ABOUT NEW YORK WHO JUST PASSED A LAW THAT SAYS THEY WOULD GIVE THE SENATE TRUMPS STATE TAXES On May 22 2019...”””N.Y. legislators vote to give Congress access to Trump’s state tax returns””” https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-tax-returns-new-york-20190522-story.html Congress will still get them just not federal...but it will be close enough

[Candor7]

Obviously Nancy needs help with her leftist , caterwauling caucus.She is like a Dalek from Dr. Who: “ INCINERAAAATE!”

There’s a hole in your bucket
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
Mend the hole then dear Donald
You silly mend it

With what shall I mend it
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
With AOC then dear Donald
You silly with AOC

But AOC is too long
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
Cut AOC then dear Donald
You silly cut AOC

With what shall I cut AOC
Dear nancy, dear nancy
With a knife then dear Donald
You silly with a knife

But the knife is too dull
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
Whet the knife then dear Donald
You silly whet the knife

With what will I whet it
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
With Barr then dear Donald
You silly with Barr

But AG Barr is too rough
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
Smooth out Barr then dear Donald
You silly smooth AG Barr

With what shall I smooth him
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
With Waters dear Donald
You silly with Waters

In what shall I carry her
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
In a bucket dear Donald
You silly in a bucket

But there’s a hole in your bucket
Dear Nancy, dear Nancy
Then mend it dear Donald
You silly mend it

[jmclemore]

Assuming democrats don’t already have copies of Trumps tax records, is to ignore the fact that Obama’s people were running the IRS and Treasury before Trump announced and likely for a while after inauguration, until their replacements showed up.

I’m certain that they have Trump’s taxes and are waiting until they have some legal coverage to make them public. If there is nothing there, they will continue with the “why are you afraid to release your Taxes” line. If there is (in their opinion) something there, they will (Oct surprise) leak it.