Judge rules that Trump’s accountants must turn over parts of his tax returns to Congress

A federal judge has ruled in favor of an attempt by the Democrat-led House Oversight and Reform Committee to obtain some of former President Donald Trump’s tax records, while blocking the lawmakers from obtaining returns from before Mr Trump’s inauguration.

In a decision on Wednesday, Judge Amit Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that lawmakers on the Oversight panel were entitled to returns that would detail the former president’s tax records from 2017-2018, agreeing with the committee’s reasoning that it was entitled to scrutinise whether the president violated the emoluments clause of the US Constitution, which bars federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign beneficiaries.

Democrats and government accountability experts have long argued that the former president’s continued ownership of his hotel chain, which includes one location in Washington DC that is frequented by Republicans seeking Mr Trump’s favour, presents a massive conflict of interest as those hoping to make inroads with the Trump administration could get in the former president’s good graces by frequenting his businesses.

Mr Trump attempted to deflect those criticisms by placing his businesses into the control of his sons, Donald Jr and Eric Trump, but frequented his properties throughout his presidency and even on occasion conducted official business with dignitaries domestic and foreign at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort.

Democrats also argued in their court filings that they were entitled to examine the lease granted to the Trump Organization to turn the historic Old Post Office building in Washington DC into a hotel, an argument with which Mr Mehta agreed.

Mr Mehta did not, however, rule in favor of Democrats’ request for tax returns dating from 2011 to 2016, writing in his ruling that the request exceeded the committee’s scope of oversight authority.

“[T]he court holds that the emolument track justifies the scope of the...subpoena as to the entities listed and types of documents requested,” wrote Mr Mehta.

Suggestions from Democrats that subpoenas for records dating before Mr Trump was inaugurated were justified due to the possibility of foreign business dealings beginning before he took office were “speculation”, the judge continued.

Mr Trump can appeal the court’s decision to a federal appeals court, but Wednesday’s news is nonetheless a victory for House Democrats who have faced some exasperation from their voting base over Congress’s inability to make concrete progress on the rhetoric and promises to hold the former president accountable that helped the party win control of the House in 2018.

The takeover of the House that year was largely responsible for thwarting much of the former president’s legislative agenda while in office, though the party’s control of the chamber after 2022 looks uncertain following the gain of more than a dozen seats by the GOP in 2020.