Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Dispute over tax documents
Trump loses in federal court
Donald Trump would like to keep the tax records from and before his presidency a secret. But that could be difficult. A US federal court sees the US Congress, which demands the surrender, in the right.
Former US President Donald Trump suffered a defeat in the legal battle over the surrender of his tax documents to a committee of the House of Representatives. The responsible federal judge Trevor McFadden dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against the release of the documents. Former presidents are also not exempt from investigations by Congress, the judge wrote in a 45-page verdict. Several US media reported unanimously that the verdict was not yet final because the judge gave Trump ten days to appeal.
The Treasury Department of Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, instructed the IRS in July to turn the filing over to the committee. Contrary to political customs in the United States, real estate entrepreneur Trump had not made his tax return public either as a presidential candidate or after he moved into the White House. Critics therefore speculate that he has something to hide.
Trump also opposed the release to a New York prosecutor who is investigating him. In the case, the Republican went to the Supreme Court in Washington, but lost there. The public prosecutor’s office has now received the documents, but no details should be made public – unless there is a trial.
It would be more delicate for Trump to hand it over to Congress: there, the group of people with access rights is somewhat larger and, under certain conditions, details could be published regularly during the committee’s investigation. In addition, confidential information is repeatedly leaked out of Parliament.