DEMS/TREASURY/TRUMP TAXES: “House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal of Massachusetts is carefully deliberating the best way to request President Donald Trump’s tax returns amid building pressure from activists on the left. Requesting presidential tax returns has become a key mobilizing issue for the Democratic base, but it carries with it both political and legal risks. While Democrats are confident IRS code 6103 gives them the power to request the returns, there is no precedent for asking for the President of the United States’ tax returns. And, Trump isn’t expected to hand them over without a legal fight. For Neal, a left of center Democrat who has waited decades to win the gavel on Ways and Means, requesting the returns could come with costs: such a gesture could be seen within the administration as the ultimate defiance, virtually assuring the administration recasts Neal as a foe rather than a negotiating partner. But pressure is mounting. Even as the Ways and Means Committee just formally organized and navigated a 35-day long government shutdown of agencies within their jurisdiction, groups like Tax March, Indivisible and Stand Up America sent a letter last week to Neal urging him to swiftly request Trump’s returns. They included a draft letter for the chairman to send to Treasury.”
–Lauren Fox, “Richard Neal plows ahead with plans to request Trump’s tax returns,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 29, 2019 6:37 pm