Donald Trump looked right into the thousands of eyes of people in his campaign rallies and lied. Of course, everyone now knows that the president is a congenital liar, but during his campaign many believed him. He said that he wanted to give them his tax returns, he really did. Unfortunately, he lied to them, his tax returns were being audited by the IRS. Apparently, it was the longest audit in IRS history, and Democrats have had enough.
Chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sent a letter to the Mazars USA tax and accounting firm requesting Trump’s returns. The firm replied that they felt as if they needed a “friendly” subpoena. That would allow the company to comply with the panel’s ask formally.
Cummings said “we’ll get them a subpoena” in exchange for ten years of POTUS’ financial records, possibly including his tax returns, according to POLITICO:
‘They have told us that they will provide the information pretty much when they have a subpoena. And we’ll get them a subpoena.’
Cummings’ letter was already a formal request. It referred to the president’s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen’s testimony before the committee. Cummings requested the information by April 3rd.
The purpose of acquiring the president’s financial records was to corroborate Cohen’s testimony in front of the hearing. The committee also wanted to have other witnesses and organizations testify and provide documents to further corroborate the fixer’s testimony.
Cummings wrote to Mazars USA that the panel was particularly interested in the financial documents related to the commander-in-chief’s failed attempt to purchase the Buffalo Bills football team. In order to qualify for a loan to buy the team, Cohen told the committee that Trump over-valued his net worth. Then, the attorney told the committee that conversely, the president devalued his assets in order to pay less in taxes than he actually owed.
In what amounted to political theater, the Republicans on the Oversight Committee challenged the Democrats’ intent to send the subpoena. Those same members of the GOP had no qualms doing what amounted to serial harassing Secretary Hillary Clinton over her private email server.
The committee Republicans loudly insisted that the reason the Democrats had requested Trump’s financial records from Mazars USA:
‘…(was) solely to embarrass President Trump and to advance the relentless Democrat attacks upon the Trump administration.’
The House committees have been working in tandem to coordinate their strategy and not overlap, given that they have to make up for two years of the Republicans failure to do their committee jobs. Cummings sent out 81 letters to individuals and entities.
The Oversight Committee has followed up with subpoenas to those who have not complied and interviews with those who did. The Democrats have been investigating the Commerce Department for its illegal addition of a citizenship question to the upcoming 2020 census questionnaire and the serious breaches in the White House security clearance situation.
An 18-year White House employee became a whistleblower and testified before the committee that the career professionals denied 25 applications for security clearances and were then overruled.
