These Democrats really are stuck in a rut, aren’t they?
It’s like they only have a couple different game plans and they can’t seem to figure out anything else.
For 2+ years it was Russia, Russia, Russia!
When that fell apart, they then rolled out the Ukraine “scandal”.
Since that is seemingly falling apart as we speak, a new report out says there’s a second whistleblower and this one may be reverting to an old Democrat obsession: Trump’s tax returns.
Give it a rest people!
But here’s what is being reported:
The Hill reported more details:
A whistleblower allegation about possible misconduct in the IRS presidential tax-return audit program is receiving new attention amid House Democrats' impeachment inquiry into President Trump.
House Democrats are focused on a separate whistleblower complaint that President Trump allegedly urged Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. But progressive groups are also banging the drum over the tax complaint, urging leaders to disclose more information and arguing it could be crucial to Democrats’ oversight.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with scandal and secrecy with Trump’s presidency the entire time,” said Maura Quint, executive director of the progressive group Tax March. “I think now we’ve got the Democrats trying to hone in on what’s been going on, and I think the common link that we’ve been seeing is that since before he took office, he’s been trying to hide his tax returns.”
In an already politically charged Washington, the tax complaint bears the makings of a new political football.
“Obtaining Trump’s tax returns remains vital to determining whether he has manipulated our tax code as much as he has sought to manipulate our democracy," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) in a statement Friday. "Whistleblowers regarding possible improper political interference are important to both inquiries."
The whistleblower complaint though is largely shrouded in mystery, with few public details.
Its existence was first revealed by the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee in court documents in August in its lawsuit for Trump’s tax returns. In an Aug. 8 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchinincluded in a filing, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal(D-Mass.) said his panel received information from a federal employee on July 29 that included credible allegations of “inappropriate efforts to influence” the IRS mandatory program of auditing presidents and vice presidents.
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It’s IRS internal policy, but not law, to conduct annual audits of the president’s and vice president’s tax returns.
A Ways and Means Committee spokeswoman said Friday that the panel can’t discuss the contents of the complaint because of taxpayer privacy laws.
The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the whistleblower is an IRS employee who said he was told that at least one Treasury Department political appointee tried to interfere with an audit of Trump or Vice President Pence’s tax returns.
The whistleblower spoke with the Post and wouldn’t say anything about the substance of his complaint but confirmed that he sent it to Neal, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
The Trump administration and the president’s personal lawyers argued in a court filing last week that the Ways and Means Committee hasn’t explained how the whistleblower allegations are related to its demands for the president’s tax returns.
And from CBS:
A government whistleblower is alleging "inappropriate efforts to influence" the mandatory IRS audit program that's checking the tax returns of President Trump and Vice President Pence.
The chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, Representative Richard Neal, D-Mass., says the panel on July 29 received "an unsolicited communication from a Federal employee setting forth credible allegations of 'evidence of possible misconduct' - specifically, potential 'inappropriate efforts to influence' the mandatory audit program."
Citing "multiple people familiar with the document," The Washington Post says, "An Internal Revenue Service official has filed a whistleblower complaint reporting that he was told that at least one Treasury Department political appointee attempted to improperly interfere with the annual audit of the president's or vice president's tax returns."
The Post adds that, "Trump administration officials dismissed the whistleblower's complaint as flimsy because it is based on conversations with other government officials."
In an Aug. 8 letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Neal sought documents and communications regarding specific employees at the department and the Internal Revenue Service. In a court filing, it was disclosed that Mnuchin missed the deadline to begin producing the documents.
Internal IRS policies require annual audits of presidential and vice presidential tax returns, but the policies aren't law.
The Post notes that the audits are supposed to be shielded from politics and political appointees.
The whistleblower claim comes amid the House's impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump in the wake of a different government whistleblower's complaint about the president's actions toward Ukraine.
Mr. Trump's tax returns have been a well-kept secret. He broke with U.S. political tradition as the first president in decades not to give voters a look at his financial situation. Democrats sued for their release.
Separately, Manhattan's top prosecutor pushed back against the U.S. Justice Department Thursday in a legal battle over Mr. Trump's tax returns, saying local efforts to investigate the president's finances should be "free from federal interference."
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