DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/TRUMP TAXES: “An attorney for President Donald Trump on Friday [4-5-19] blasted U.S. House Democrats’ request for six years of Trump’s tax returns as ‘a misguided attempt’ to politicize the tax laws, accusing lawmakers of harassment and interference in IRS audits. In a statement that mapped out the legal battlefield ahead, William Consovoy said the request, formally filed on Wednesday by U.S. House of Representatives tax committee Chairman Richard Neal, flouts ‘constitutional constraints’…One of the many investigations targeting Trump on Capitol Hill and in the U.S. court system, the House Democrat’s probe into the president’s tax returns could pull back the curtain on his business empire and his reputation as a savvy dealmaker. Unlike previous presidents over recent decades, Trump has refused to make public past tax returns, while retaining ownership in many enterprises, ranging from golf courses and hotels to Trump Tower in New York City and his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida.”
–Karen Freifeld, “Fight begins over Trump’s taxes, lawyer slams Democrats’ request,” Reuters, April 5, 2019 12:56 pm