Dem rep says Trump ‘slow-walking’ request for tax returns

Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) on Wednesday told Hill.TV that President Trump was “slow-walking” the release of his tax returns amid a request by the House Ways and Means Committee to the IRS for six years of Trump’s personal and business returns. 

“We don’t expect that they will comply,” Kildee told hosts Krystal Ball and Buck Sexton on “Rising.”

“They clearly have access to six years of returns for the president’s individual return and these eight business entities that we think are important to take a look at.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) last week requested that the IRS provide the committee the tax returns by Wednesday.

However, the Trump administration is unlikely to meet the deadline, raising the likelihood of a battle in court. 

“They’ve had a week to comply. It’s fairly clear that they’re slow-walking this,” he continued. “The president’s own lawyers wrote to the Treasury Department essentially warning them that they should not release these returns.” 

Trump is the first president in decades to opt out of releasing his tax returns, arguing that he cannot make them public because he is under audit. 

“When we talk about releasing the returns, we’re not suggesting that the returns would be made public, nor that even the full committee, let alone the full House would have access to them,” Kildee said.

— Julia Manchester