A U.S. congressional committee on Tuesday approved the release of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
The measure passed by 24 votes to 16 in the House Ways and Means Committee, controlled by the Democratic Party. It is not yet clear when the documents will be available to the public.
Unlike predecessors in office, Trump has always refused to make his tax documents available, claiming that they are private information. Until the publication of this text, the republican had not commented on the decision.
Democrats claim the now-classified information is needed as part of a program by the Internal Revenue Service to audit the income statements of the country’s presidents.
Committee chairman Richar E. Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, denied that the decision was revanchist. “It’s not about being malicious,” he said.
Republicans on the committee said the release of the data represented a “dangerous political weapon.” “Sadly, what’s done is done,” said Kevin Brady, Republican of Texas.
The release of Trump’s income statements could shed light on the former president’s murky finances. A survey by The New York Times indicates that the Republican failed to pay federal taxes in 11 of the 18 years analyzed.
Tuesday’s decision adds to a string of recent defeats by Trump.
On Monday (19), another House committee had recommended indicting the former president for conspiracy and inciting insurrection due to his involvement in the Capitol invasion on January 6, 2021.
In early December, a New York court found the Trump Organizations guilty of promoting a criminal scheme of tax fraud and falsification of records.
In November, candidates supported by the former president were defeated in the midterms, the mid-term legislative elections. At that time, the Republican Party won a majority of seats in the House, while the Democratic Party increased its majority in the Senate.
Recently, Trump launched his presidential candidacy in the 2024 election. He continues to maintain great influence in the Republican Party and, according to opinion polls, is the favorite to win the caption primaries.
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