AFP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS•
Former US President Donald Trump has criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to release some of his tax returns. The Treasury Department is now required to file tax returns with a Democratic committee in the House of Representatives. On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump says the court, where he himself appointed three conservative judges, has lost “honour, prestige and status.”
Yesterday the highest body of the US judiciary decided after years of legal disputes that Trump’s tax returns must be delivered. The committee wants to know, among other things, the financial condition of Trump’s business empire.
Several investigations into the former president’s tax returns are underway. His legal team has always tried to keep the reports secret. To this end, they have applied to the Supreme Court in several cases, after attempts at lower courts had failed.
“Why would anyone be surprised that the Supreme Court ruled against me, they always do!” Trump wrote in response. “It has no history of filing tax returns and sets a terrible precedent for future presidents,” he said.
different legal attitude
The legal ball got underway when Richard Neal, who leads the Democratic committee that will investigate, filed for Trump’s tax return three years ago. The US Treasury Department, which was then headed by a Trump-appointed secretary, initially refused to hand over the documents.
A spokesman for the ministry said so yesterday Cnn, after the court ruling, that the documents will now be handed over to the commission. A Democratic committee member said he hopes to have the papers next week.
There is a race for the Democrats, because the new Congress will take office on January 3, after which the Republicans will be in the majority. They, in turn, may try to prevent the delivery of documents.
“We knew the strength of our case, we stayed the course, and ultimately our case was upheld in the highest court in the land,” said committee chief Neal.
Another legal defeat
It’s yet another Supreme Court defeat for the Trump camp. Last year, the chief judge already ordered the former president to turn over tax returns to a New York prosecutor. He also wanted to investigate the financial situation of Trump’s business empire. The documents issued must, among other things, prove whether he has committed fraud in his tax return.
Trump accused the prosecutor of “fishing for information” after the ruling. According to him, the court should never have indulged him.
Trump is one of the few US presidents to refuse to release his tax returns, according to the AP news agency. He plans to run again in the presidential elections in 2024.
