Representative Bill Pascrell formally requested that the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Kevin Brady, utilizes a 1924 tax law that would give the committee permission to see into President Trump’s tax returns.
As he states, in his formal letter to Chairman Kevin Brady, he believes that President Trump could very well contradict the Constitution by his business ties, as he chose to keep his ownership stakes in his business. The problem that Rep. Bill Pascrell sees in this is that this could lead to corruption and the other parties involved in his business deals having influence over him, since the public and the Congress have no knowledge of who they might be. President Trump’s tax returns could reveal these potential conflicts of interest, since he himself refused to make them public.
Rep. Bill Pascrell also states that now that Presidential campaign is over, there is no fear of rival candidates using tax returns against President Trump and that he shouldn’t have any reason to hold this back any longer. And if he still chooses to deny them, then the powerful Ways and Means Committee should take action and request copies of the President Trump’s federal tax returns from the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America.
Unfortunately they were blocked by Republicans yesterday. They blocked it on a straight party-line vote, 23-15. Republican Committee Chairman Kevin Brady believes the panel is misusing its power. He believe the panel should only use its power to ensure tax laws are being administered properly—not to investigate the president. “As chairman of this committee I will not allow Washington to return to the bad old days when government officials used their powers to intimidate, harass, and destroy their political enemies,” Brady said. “If Congress uses its power to rummage around the president’s tax returns for political purposes, what prevents it from doing the same to average Americans?”
How can we confirm he is not violating the Constitution? Should we just take his word?