As noted by former President Donald Trump, the precedent that was just set by making his tax returns public may backfire on many senators, congress members and other government workers.
Before the GOP regained control of the House of Representatives in January, House Democrats from the House Ways and Means Committee made a final move against former President Donald Trump by releasing his tax returns following a vote along party lines.
The dispute among House members on whether to disclose the Trump tax returns largely followed party lines, with Republicans claiming that doing so would establish a risky precedent and diminish privacy safeguards for public figures. Democrats, however, argued that the release was necessary for transparency purposes.
It was crucial for the release of former President Trump’s tax returns to happen because he broke with tradition by not disclosing them during his presidency. He even tried to prevent Congress from obtaining them until the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that he must turn them over to the House Ways and Means Committee. As it turned out, Trump’s concerns were warranted as the Committee ultimately made the documents public.
Shortly after the release of his Tax Returns, Trump spoke out, noting of the dangerous precedent that was set.
“The Democrats should have never done it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people,” Trump said. “The great USA divide will now grow far worse. The Radical Left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous two-way street! The “Trump” tax returns once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”
Trump continued by quoting Forbes:
Forbes: “Trump’s assets are worth an estimated $4.3 billion…The former president owns real stuff—mansions, golf courses, office buildings—that throw off real cash, even if his tax returns might suggest otherwise…The D.C. hotel opened in 2016 and, by 2018, Trump had already declared tax losses of $55.5 million there, according to the Times. Still, the property is worth something. One investor offered $175 million for it before the coronavirus decimated the hotel industry. The Trumps turned that offer down. Forbes now figures the hotel is worth closer to $168 million.”—Wrong, just sold the Hotel for almost $400 Million. Many of their other numbers are wrong too, but by even bigger proportions. But that’s O.K., being wrong doesn’t matter to the Fake News!”
Trump posted an image of his statement to Truth Social, but otherwise has so far refrained from commenting on the matter on his social media platform.
Mark Levin posted this in response:
Trump’s tax returns are, in truth, terrific. Now, let’s get the Pelosi, Schumer, Biden S Corp, Roberts, Garland, and all the others! pic.twitter.com/yzOkyb2PVr
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) December 30, 2022