This Tuesday, a federal appeals court gave the green light to the House Ways and Means Committee to obtain former President Donald Trump‘s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service, CNN reports.
The decision is a setback for Trump, who’s been arguing in court for years against releasing his tax returns.
From CNN:
The appeals court said the mandate in the case would be issued seven days after any appeal Trump makes in the circuit court is resolved. Trump may also appeal the case directly to the Supreme Court. This litigation is separate from the House select committee’s investigation into the January 6 riot.
The majority opinion, written by Circuit Judge David Sentelle, said that Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal’s request for the records was within the scope of his committee’s inquiry, and the court also rejected Trump’s argument claiming that the request had a retaliatory motive, making it invalid.
The court’s Tuesday ruling determined that Trump’s former status as president does not mean he doesn’t have to turn over his taxes.
“In this case, the need for the Trump Parties’ information to inform potential legislation overrides the burden to the Executive Branch largely because that burden is so tenuous,” Circuit Judge David Sentelle, a Reagan appointee, wrote in the opinion.
Read the full report over at CNN.
