What is Hiding in Donald Trump’s Tax Returns?

Richard Nixon set the precedent of U.S. presidential candidates releasing their tax returns for public scrutiny. Every serious aspirant for the Oval Office since then has released their tax returns. With one exception. The current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave has slithered from his 2014 commitment “If I run, I absolutely will release my tax returns” to his 2016 prevarication “I’ll release them after the audit is completed” and “I’ll release them after the election” to this week’s White house announcement that “The Democrats cannot be allowed to make tax returns a political issue”. That last one is surprising given that the House Ways and Means Committee formally requested DJT’s tax returns for the period 2014 to 2019. The law requiring the IRS to provide tax returns to Congress does not allow for discretion in the release of the requested returns. Trump has made it a political issue simply by changing his mind on releasing his returns, depending on which way the wind is blowing. Trump’s defenders claim they are protecting the right to privacy. That is an important right to protect. We all want our right to privacy. However DJT is not a private citizen. He stopped being a private citizen when he swore the oath of office at his inauguration. Whether or not the President is using the power of his office to further his private interests is something Americans have a right to know. Whether or not the President has a history of tax evasion is something Americans have a right to know. Whether or not the President is profiting from foreign interests is something Americans have a right to know. Congress has the constitutional authority to oversee the President and hold him accountable for anything that is contrary to the public interest, even if such acts are not illegal. The standard of behaviour expected of the President is much higher than merely not breaking the law. DJT made a career and, by his reports alone, a fortune by pushing the boundaries of legality. Surely American voters deserve to know just how far he went and whether or not he crossed lines they care about. Not doing something that Richard Nixon did is often considered admirable. Trump’s inaction on his taxes is a big exception.