New York state legislature votes to make
Trump tax returns available
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[May 23, 2019]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York
state's legislature on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it easier
for U.S. congressional committees investigating President Donald Trump
to get access to his state tax returns.
The Democratic-controlled state Assembly and Senate voted along party
lines on the measure, which would circumvent his refusal to hand over
his federal tax returns to Congress.
New York Republicans who opposed the bill called it an abuse of power
that fed into the political designs of Democrats in Washington, the
Albany Times-Union reported. It now goes to Democratic Governor Andrew
Cuomo for final approval.
Trump has refused to release any of his tax returns, breaking a
decades-long tradition of U.S. presidents making their personal finances
public to demonstrate that they have no conflicts of interest.
Although the bill does not name Trump, it allows the state Department of
Taxation and Finance to share state tax return information with a
congressional committee that requests it. Much of the information
submitted in New York state tax returns is similar to that on federal
forms.
Trump and Democrats who control the U.S. House of Representatives are
locked in a battle over their ability to investigate him.
The president is stonewalling multiple congressional investigations by
ignoring subpoenas, refusing to allow current and former advisers to
testify, and not handing over documents.
For example the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee
requested Trump's federal tax returns by subpoena but the request was
denied by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
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President Donald Trump reacts as he addresses a Trump 2020
re-election campaign rally in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, U.S. May
20, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Trump's personal home and the headquarters for his business are in
New York, requiring him to file state tax returns in addition to his
federal returns.
"New York has a unique role to help head off the constitutional
crisis brewing between Congress and the White House over refusal to
comply with the request for Donald Trump's tax returns," said the
bill's sponsor, Senator Brad Hoylman, according to the Times-Union.
"We are affirming Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government
and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the
law, not even the highest elected official in the land."
In comments to reporters on Wednesday, Trump criticized Democrats
for continuing their wide-ranging follow-up to Special Counsel
Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
"I don't do cover-ups," Trump said, responding to a charge made by
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just moments ago.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on the New York legislation.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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