At the last minute, Trump’s lawyers filed an urgent petition with the US Supreme Court. Congress now has until November 10 to respond.
The US Supreme Court has stopped releasing former President Donald Trump’s tax documents to a House committee. At Trump’s request, Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday ordered the IRS tax authority’s release of the documents to be stopped for the time being. Trump’s lawyers filed an urgent petition with the US Supreme Court on Monday to stop the last-minute release.
The Congressional Committee now has until November 10 to respond to the motion. An appeals court in Washington last week cleared the way for Trump’s tax records to be released to the committee. They should have been delivered from this Thursday. In recent years, Trump has opposed lower levels of Congress by obtaining information about his tax affairs.
Trump did not release tax returns
Contrary to usual practice in the United States, real estate developer Trump did not make his income tax returns public as a presidential candidate or after moving into the White House. And to this day he tries to avoid disclosure. Critics therefore suspect he has something to hide.
The Treasury Department under Trump’s successor Joe Biden instructed the IRS last year to turn over the documents to the committee. Trump reacted in court and ended up asking the Court of Appeals in Washington to stop him. The court rejected this in a first round in August. Trump then requested a re-examination, which was also rejected last week. That let him go to the Supreme Court.
On the 8th of November there will be elections in the USA
On November 8, a new US House of Representatives will be elected. If Republicans win a majority in the House of Congress, Trump can expect the committee, under new leadership, to refrain from requesting the documents. The new congress will meet in early January 2023.
Trump is currently struggling with a number of legal issues – including taking secret government documents to his private property after leaving the White House.
(APA/dpa)