Eshoo, Crowley, Pascrell Urge IRS and FEC to Seek Trump's Tax Returns Through Investigation
"For decades, presidents and presidential candidates have voluntarily disclosed their tax returns. By refusing to make his tax returns public, the President implies he is hiding important information from the American people," the Members write. "Tax returns contain vital information such as whether the candidate paid taxes; what they own; how much they've borrowed and from whom; whether they've made charitable donations; and whether they've taken advantage of tax loopholes or offshore tax shelters."
On June 14, New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood filed a civil suit against President Trump for persistently misusing funds from the Trump Foundation to benefit himself and his businesses. The letter urges the IRS and FEC to follow-up on Attorney General Underwood's recommendation to investigate the president and his Foundation. Due to Attorney General Underwood's accusation of tax fraud, federal investigators would have the authority to obtain the president's tax returns and make them publicly available for the first time.
"As Members of Congress who support transparency and accountability, we urge you to investigate this matter to determine whether the President broke the law and abused our tax system, and to refer the matter to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution if the evidence warrants," the Members continued.
Eshoo has led the charge in the House for full disclosure of the President's tax returns. Her bipartisan legislation, the Presidential Tax Transparency Act requires the current president and all future presidents and presidential candidates to release their tax returns to the public.
The text of the letter can be found HERE.
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