Kevin Brady: “I include in the Record an article from yesterday's Los Angeles Times confirming the release of tax returns does nothing…”

“I include in the Record an article from yesterday's Los Angeles Times confirming the release of tax returns does nothing to evaluate the IRS auditing process or to advance any legitimate oversight goal. [From the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2022] Column: Should Congress Post Trump's Tax Returns Publicly? I Don't Think So (By Nicholas Goldberg) Donald Trump should have released his tax returns when he was running for president, and in not doing so he was deceptive, sleazy and in violation of a long-standing tradition that fosters transparency and honesty. He obviously hoped to hide unfavorable information from the voters. Despite that, I don't believe the House Ways and Means Committee should release his tax returns to the public now. The committee fought a long battle all the way to the Supreme Court to obtain copies of the returns. It argued that it needed them to evaluate the effectiveness of an IRS program that audits the tax filings of presidents. Republicans squawked all the way, saying the Democrats who controlled the committee were being disingenuous, and that no, no, no, they weren't seeking to do a legitimate evaluation--they were just creating a pretext to get ahold of Trump's returns for a humiliating public fishing expedition into what taxes had or hadn't been paid. The courts ultimately ruled that the committee could have six years of Trump's federal tax returns. That battle ended last month.…”