But, the point remains: Donald Trump was (and is) the only major party presidential nominee since Watergate to never release any past tax returns. He is also the only president to refuse to release even a year of past returns. So, why? Why never release any tax returns during the course of the campaign?
The order marked a reversal for the Justice Department. In 2019, when Trump was still in office, the department's Office of Legal Counsel declared that the request for his taxes by the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee was based on a "disingenuous" objective aimed at exposing them to the public.
WASHINGTON—Former President Donald Trump will fight any move by the Treasury Department to turn over his tax returns to Congress, a lawyer for Mr. Trump said Monday, days after the Justice Department directed the agency to provide the documents to a House panel.
House Democrats have said they need Trump's tax returns to see if the IRS is properly auditing presidential tax returns in general and to assess whether new legislation is needed. The order marked a reversal for the Justice Department.
Here are a few of the most likely reasons: 1) Trump’s not as rich as he says: There’s very little question that Trump overstates his personal wealth – and has done so for as long as he has had personal wealth. He’s said he’s worth $10 billion; Forbes said in 2018 that number is closer to $3 billion.
In turn, those losses can be used to cancel out an equivalent amount of taxable income.”. As the Times noted, Trump’s $916 million loss in 1995 could have allowed him to pay $0 in personal income taxes for the next 18 years.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin prepares to testify on "The President's FY2020 Budget Proposal" before the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2019.
US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, speaks at her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2021. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) Now playing. 01:21.
On Monday night, as expected, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin informed House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts, that he would not be handing over President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
Mnuchin denies request for Trump's tax returns. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin prepares to testify on "The President's FY2020 Budget Proposal" before the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2019.
US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of Califor nia, speaks at her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2021.