Pascrell Introduces Resolution for Trump's Returns

Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.
Privileged Resolution
05.16.2017

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President shall immediately disclose his tax return information to Congress and the American people.

Whereas, in the United States’ system of checks and balances, Congress has a responsibility to hold the Executive Branch of government to the highest standard of transparency to ensure the public interest is placed first;

Whereas, according to the Tax History Project, every President since Gerald Ford has disclosed their tax return information to the public;

Whereas, tax returns provide an important baseline disclosure because they contain highly instructive information including whether the candidate paid taxes, what they own, what they have borrowed and from whom, whether they have made any charitable donations, and whether they have taken advantage of tax loopholes;

Whereas, disclosure of the President’s tax returns could help those investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election understand the President’s financial ties to the Russian Federation and Russian citizens, including debts owed and whether he shares any partnership interests, equity interests, joint ventures or licensing agreements with Russia or Russians;

Whereas,the President fired FBI Director James Comey last week, whose FBI was investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election

Whereas, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who made the recommendation to fire Director Comey, during sworn testimony neglected to mention his contacts with the Russian ambassador and recused himself from anything involving the Russian investigation;

Whereas, Senate Russia investigators have requested information from the Treasury Department’s criminal investigation division, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, which handles cases of money laundering, for information related to President Trump, his top officials and campaign aides. FinCEN has been investigating allegations of foreign money-laundering through purchases of U.S. real estate;

Whereas, the President’s tax returns would show us whether he has foreign bank accounts and how much profit he receives from his ownership in myriad partnerships;

Whereas, the President hired a law firm to send a letter to Senator Lindsey Graham to fight suggestions he has Russian business ties; this letter left open the question whether Mr. Trump or his firms received Russian income or loans or derived income from Russian-linked partnerships.

Whereas, Donald Trump Jr. said the Trump Organization saw money “pouring in from Russia” and that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets.”

Whereas, the White House will not confirm whether the President has filed a 2016 tax return;

Whereas, Congress gave itself the authority to review an individual’s tax returns to investigate and reveal possible conflicts of interest of executive branch officials involved in the Teapot Dome scandal.

Whereas, President Donald Trump’s executive order on the Review of designations under the Antiquities Act has directed the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to review national monuments that presidents have designated or expanded since 1996.

Whereas, this review was praised by industry groups who could benefit financially from oil, gas and mining and condemned by environmental organizations concerned this review will scrap or scale back critical federal designation to protect tribal and historic lands.

Whereas, the American people are in the dark to knowing if this review was started to justify selling or leasing public lands to private corporations that could enrich the President or his business partners without reviewing the President’s tax returns.

Whereas, it has been reported that federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to associates of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn seeking business records as part of the ongoing probe into Russian involvement in the 2016 election;

Whereas, according to his 2016 candidate filing with the Federal Election Commission, the President has 564 financial positions in companies located in the United States and around the world;

Whereas, against the advice of ethics attorneys and the Office of Government Ethics, the President has refused to divest his ownership stake in his businesses; and can still withdraw funds at any time from the trust of which he is the sole beneficiary;

Whereas, the Emoluments Clause was included in the U.S. Constitution for the express purpose of preventing federal officials from accepting any “present, Emolument, Office, or Title . . . from any King, Prince, or foreign state”;

Whereas, the most signed petition on the White House website calls for the release of the President’s tax return information to verify compliance with the Emoluments Clause, with 1 million, 94 thousand signatures as of date of this resolution;

Whereas, the Chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee, Joint Committee on Taxation, and Senate Finance Committee have the authority to request the President’s tax returns under Section 6103 of the tax code;

Whereas, the Joint Committee on Taxation reviewed the tax returns of President Richard Nixon in 1974 and made the information public;

Whereas, the Ways and Means Committee used IRC 6103 authority in 2014 to make public the confidential tax information of 51 taxpayers;

Whereas, the American people have the right to know whether or not their President is operating under conflicts of interest related to international affairs, tax reform, government contracts, or otherwise: Now, therefore, be it:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives shall —