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Trump filed an emergency request to put on hold a lower court
ruling against the Republican former president that upheld the
Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee's request for the
tax materials as a justified part of its legislative work while
his attorneys prepare an appeal.
"If allowed to stand, it will undermine the separation of powers
and render the office of the Presidency vulnerable to invasive
information demands from political opponents in the legislative
branch," Trump's lawyers wrote, referring to the division of
authority among the three branches of the U.S. government.
The fight has lingered since 2019 when the committee sued Trump
to force disclosure of the tax returns. Trump was the first
president in four decades years not to release his tax returns
as he aimed to keep secret the details of his wealth and the
activities of his company, the Trump Organization.
The committee in its request invoked a federal law that empowers
the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee to request
any person's tax returns from the IRS.
House Democrats have said they need Trump's tax returns to see
if the IRS is properly auditing presidential returns and to
assess whether new legislation is needed. Trump's lawyers have
called that explanation "pretextual" and "disingenuous," saying
the real aim is to unearth politically damaging information
about Trump, who is considering another run for the presidency
in 2024.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, sided
with Congress in December 2021 and threw out the case, finding
that the committee holds broad authority over a former
president's tax returns.
In August, the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals also ruled against Trump, concluding that "every
president takes office knowing that he will be subject to the
same laws as all other citizens upon leaving office." The
appeals court refused a rehearing on Oct. 27.
(Reporting by Andrew Chung in Washington and Nate Raymond in
Boston; Editing by Will Dunham)
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