The GOP’s Empty Threat on Disclosing Tax Returns

Tim O’Brien: “The GOP can’t dump on Democrats by calling for the release of Biden’s tax returns because, lo and behold, he has already done so. Biden has also been subjected to the mandatory Internal Revenue Service audit required of all presidents. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, was put through that tax review, too. Trump, magically, was not. The House Ways and Means Committee’s report on Trump’s tax returns notes how forcefully officials in his administration tried stymying efforts to release the returns. Perhaps that’s why Trump wasn’t properly audited. Maybe it was just bureaucratic ineptitude. Either way, a robust examination of the lapse is in order.”

“More disclosure from Trump is in order, too – especially since he plans to run for president again in 2024. It’s handy to have returns for the 2015 to 2020 tax years, but there are ample and important financial disclosures still missing from those documents. It’s also vital that Trump’s returns stretching back to the years long before he became president be released as well.”