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WASHINGTON The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, using a little-known provision in the federal tax code, formally requested on Wednesday that the I.R.S. hand over six years of President Trumps personal and business tax returns, starting what is likely to be a momentous fight with his administration.

Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts, hand-delivered a two-page letter laying out the request to Charles P. Rettig, the Internal Revenue Service commissioner, ending months of speculation about when he would do so and almost certainly prompting a legal challenge from the Trump administration.

Responding to questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump suggested that he would fight the request because, he said, he was being audited.

I guess when you have a name, you are audited, but until such time as Im not under audit I would not be inclined to do that, he said.

[Read Mr. Neals letter to the I.R.S. commissioner.]

The move by Mr. Neal came as other panels controlled by House Democrats were flexing their muscles. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning authorized its chairman to use a subpoena to try to force the Justice Department to give Congress a full copy of the special counsels report and all of the underlying evidence used to reach his conclusions on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

And the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee said that he would soon ask for a vote on a subpoena of his own to compel Mazars USA, an accounting firm tied to the president, to produce a decades worth of Mr. Trumps financial records.

They have told us that they will provide the information pretty much when they have a subpoena, the chairman, Representative Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, told reporters. And well get them a subpoena.

Unlike the chairmen of other committees, Mr. Neal is not relying on a subpoena or standard congressional processes. Instead, he is invoking an authority enshrined in the tax code granted only to the tax-writing committees in Congress that gives the chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee the power to request tax information on any filer.

Mr. Neal gave the agency until April 10 to comply with the request, and if he receives the information, he will then confidentially review it with his committee staff.

The provision, which dates in some form to the Teapot Dome scandal of Warren G. Hardings administration, at least on its face gives the Trump administration little room to decline a request like Mr. Neals. It only says that the Treasury secretary shall furnish the information.

President Trump is the first president in nearly a half century to break precedent and refuse to voluntarily release his tax returns, said Representative Dan Kildee, Democrat of Michigan and a member of the Ways and Means Committee. The president is the only person who can sign bills into law, and the public deserves to know whether the presidents personal financial interests affect his public decision making.

The Treasury Department and the I.R.S. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But Democrats anticipate that the Trump administration will object to the request and force the matter into the courts, where its adjudication could take months or longer. Though the provision No. 6103 in the tax code is invoked frequently by the committee, there is little precedent for using it to view the returns of a president who has not invited the scrutiny.

Republicans have vigorously argued against the request, saying that whatever justification Democrats produce will belie their true intent: to fish for information that could embarrass the president politically.

Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, called the request an abuse of the tax-writing committees statutory authority.

Weaponizing our nations tax code by targeting political foes sets a dangerous precedent and weakens Americans privacy rights, Mr. Brady said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. As you know, by law all Americans have a fundamental right to the privacy of the personal information found in their tax returns.

Defying modern presidential norms, Mr. Trump has refused since he became a candidate for president to release any of his tax returns. Democrats suspect the tax information could provide clues to wrongdoing by Mr. Trump, and they made getting the documents one of their top oversight priorities when they reclaimed control of the House in January.

[A New York Times investigation showed that the president engaged in suspect tax schemes as he reaped riches from his father.]

Mr. Neal said he was making the request as part of his committees oversight of the extent to which the I.R.S. audits and enforces the federal tax laws against a president. Under I.R.S. policy, the personal tax returns of presidents and vice presidents are supposed to be automatically audited each year. Mr. Neal said the committee was considering legislation related to the issue.

I take the authority to make this request very seriously, and I approach it with the utmost care and respect, Mr. Neal said in a statement. This request is about policy, not politics; my preparations were made on my own track and timeline, entirely independent of other activities in Congress and the administration.

He added, I trust that in this spirit, the I.R.S. will comply with federal law and furnish me with the requested documents in a timely manner.

In addition to Mr. Trumps personal returns for 2013 to 2018, Mr. Neal requested returns for Mr. Trumps trust and seven other core Trump business entities that control scores of other Trump operations, including his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. He also asked the I.R.S. to share any information it had related to the entities, including whether they had been audited.

Liberal Democrats have complained for weeks that Mr. Neal, 70 and a roll-up-your-sleeves legislator, was dragging his feet on making the request. They have organized events in his district, taken out advertisements and produced legal briefs meant to make a case that he should act and act quickly.

Mr. Neal said throughout that he was chiefly concerned with crafting a request, alongside the House general counsel and the Ways and Means Committee staff, that could withstand legal challenge.

I am certain we are within our legitimate legislative, legal and oversight rights, he said on Wednesday.

In the Judiciary Committee, the chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, said he would not immediately issue the subpoena for the Mueller report. But the party-line vote won by Democrats who control the committee ratchets up pressure on Attorney General William P. Barr as he decides how much of the nearly 400-page report to share with lawmakers.

I will give him time to change his mind, Mr. Nadler said in his opening statement. But if we cannot reach an accommodation, then we will have no choice but to issue subpoenas for these materials.

The committee also approved subpoenas for five former White House aides who Democrats said were relevant to an investigation into possible obstruction of justice, abuse of power and corruption within the Trump administration.

They included Donald F. McGahn II, a former White House counsel; Stephen K. Bannon, the presidents former chief strategist; Hope Hicks, a former White House communications director; Reince Priebus, the presidents first chief of staff; and Annie Donaldson, a deputy of Mr. McGahn.

Read more from the original source:
House Democrat Demands Six Years of Trump Tax Returns From I ...

Former Vice President Biden will run for president against President Donald Trump, according to a senior House Democrat lawmaker in the last week.

Biden reportedly called the House lawmaker and asked if he could discuss campaign strategy with the congressman and invited the member to sit down with him shortly. The former vice president also asked the lawmaker for his support, which the member did not say he could give at this time.

Biden and his wife, Jill, just came back from vacation in the Caribbean, where they allegedly discussed potential problems if he were to run for president.

Bill Russo, a Biden spokesman, said that the former Delaware senator has not announced his decision yet.

He has not made a final decision. No change, Russo said.

At an event with firefighters on Tuesday, Biden allegedly teased a presidential run as the crowded chanted, Run, Joe, run!

I appreciate the energy you all showed when I got up here, Biden said at the International Association of Fire Fighters annual conference in Washington, D.C. Save it a little longer, I may need it in a few weeks. Be careful what you wish for.

A source familiar with Bidens thinking suggested that Biden often likes to check all boxes before he officially announces his decision.

Hes basically in. Hes just running the traps, as he says, the source said.

Biden, 76-years-old and older than President Trump, could announce his third and final presidential bid as soon as the next couple weeks.

A recent Monmouth University poll had Biden leading Democrat presidential contenders at 28 percent, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in second at 25 percent, followed by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) at ten percent, and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at eight percent.

However, Bidens age and moderate politics may serve as a disadvantage if he were to come into the Democrat presidential primary fray as many younger, more diverse, and more progressive candidates have embraced proposals such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.

Bidens team also recently hired Cristobal Alex, the former head of the Latino Victory Fund, who ran the controversial ad during the 2017Virginia gubernatorial campaign which featured a white Donald Trump supporter attempting to run down minority children.

However, despite his lack of youth and progressive credentials, one Democrat senator told theHillthat he or she hopes that Biden runs, contending that the former vice president could help capture the American midwest in 2020.

I love him, the senator explained, and think hes got a unique ability to connect with Americans in the Rust Belt who feel left behind by government.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

Read this article:
Report: Senior House Democrat Says Joe Biden Will Run for ...

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Were they filtered by labels or sizing?")},h.videoAdapters = [],h.registerBidAdapter = function(e, t) {var n = (2 n

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Read the original here:
Bernie Sanders to sign 'affirmation' he'll run as Democrat in ...

CBS This Morning co-hostJohn Dickerson on Monday worried that Joe Biden would be too moderate in tone as a presidential candidate, describing the Democrat as a let us reason together politician. This, of course, is the same Democrat who had a lifetimeAmerican Conservative Union score of 12 and who savaged conservative Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in 1987. Not exactly reaching across the aisle.

Talking to Biden 2020 cheerleader Chris Coons, Dickerson spoke almost reverentially of the former Vice President: Joe Biden represents an older style way of thinking about the way government works in Washington. He's a creature of the Senate.

The co-host added, People in the Democratic Party believe whoever runs for president is going to have to run not as kind of a 'Let us reason together,'but as somebody who's going to bring it hard and tough to Republicans.And Joe Biden is not that kind of Democrat.

Seeming to get misty eyed about the way things were, Dickerson decried, What about working in Washington as it exists now? In a world where, you know, to get things through the Senate people would argue that there are not willing partners.

Again, Biden was consistently a partisan Democrat. His 2006, 2007 and 2008 ACU scores were 4, 0, and 0. In January, Dickerson fondly recalled the good relations of the Obama years. So, Dickerson has a habit of nostalgic pining.

Yet, he still pushes other 2020 candidates left. On January 31, Dickersongrilled Pete Buttigieg about whether he has a big idea like Kamala Harris calling for the end of private insurance.

A transcript of the questions can be found below. Click expand to read more.

CBS This Morning3/11/198:06

BIANNA GOLODRYGA: Former Vice President Joe Biden leads a new Iowa poll of potential 2020 Democratic candidates. Sources tell CBS News he is preparing for a presidential run. One of the people he is talking to about his plans is Senator Chris Coons. In 2010, the Delaware Democrat won the seat Biden had vacated. Only on CBS This Morning, Senator Coons joins us at the table. Senator, good morning.

SENATOR CHRIS COONS: Good morning.

GOLODRYGA: Last week, the Vice President was reportedly at 95 percent. I know you recently spoke with him. Is he moving closer to 100?

...

COONS: What's his message going to be?

...

GAYLE KING: Do you think he should run, Senator? There's one school of thought I've heard among Democrats that has time has passed. He's a little older. That maybe his time would be better spent rallying around someone he really believes in, since there are so many candidates. What do you say to that way of thinking?

...

KING: Does experience matter? Because we have a president who has no political experience.

COONS: It matters. And weve seen the consequences.

...

DICKERSON: I assume you're talking about Bernie Sanders when you talk about the other candidate who is older. The fact you won't mention a colleagues name suggests Joe Biden is running and youre already on Team Biden. Let me ask you this. Forget about age for a moment. Joe Biden represents an older style way of thinking about the way government works in Washington. He's a creature of the Senate. He talks about that Mike Mansfield story. Everybody has a story. Everybody in the Senate has a story, even your biggest enemy. The Senate is different now. People in the Democratic Party believe whoever runs for president is going to have to run not as kind of a "Let us reason together" but as somebody who's going to bring it hard and tough to Republicans, and Joe Biden is not that kind of Democrat.

...

DICKERSON: That's a political argument for getting votes. What about working in Washington as it exists now? in a world where, you know, to get things through the Senate people would argue that there are not willing partners. Republicans argue that you aren't willing to work with them and vice-versa. That seems locked in.

Read the rest here:
John Dickerson Worries Biden Would be a Moderate, Let Us ...

Lt. Gov.s Future less certain after sexual assault accusations, but hes still hanging on.

What a difference going on groveling apology tours can make for Democrats.

Results from two recent Virginia polls show that Gov. Ralph Northam and AG Mark Herring have managed to survive the blackface scandals that rocked the state earlier this month. The sexual assault allegations against Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, however, have divided the state on his fate.

CNN digs into the numbers:

Virginians are more likely to want their governor and attorney general to remain in office rather than resign over their past appearances in blackface, but they are split over whether their lieutenant governor should step down in light of sexual assault allegations, a new Quinnipiac University poll finds.

A 48% plurality of voters in the commonwealth say Gov. Ralph Northam should not resign while 42% say he should. Nearly two-thirds (65%) say he should not be impeached, though just 39% approve of the way he is handling his job while 44% disapprove.

[]

Thirty-six percent say [Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax] should resign and 36% say he should remain in office, while 28% dont say either way. There are more undecided Democrats (32%) than Republicans (21%) or independents (25%).

Still, 37% say they believe Fairfaxs accusers over his denials. Twelve percent believe Fairfax and 51% are undecided. There is almost no party gap on believing Fairfaxs accusers, though Democrats are a bit more apt to say they believe Fairfax than are Republicans or independents.

And a majority of Virginia voters (54%) say Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, should not resign while 22% say he should after he also admitted to once wearing blackface in the early 1980s.

An Ipsos/U-Va. poll showed similar results:

Of the three top Democrats, the new polls out Wednesday show Fairfax may be in the most peril. While a plurality in the Quinnipiac poll say Northam shouldnt resign, and a 54 percent majority say Herring should remain in office voters are split on Fairfax: 36 percent say the lieutenant governor should resign, and 36 percent say he shouldnt.

In the Ipsos/U-Va. poll, more voters say Fairfax should resign, 35 percent, than say he shouldnt, 25 percent. But roughly a third, 34 percent, say they arent sure.

Though Northam and Herring appear to have survived the backlash over their confessions, Democrats will have to be very careful not to put too much pressure on Fairfax to step aside in the era of #MeToo. It would give off a bad visual for the two white politicians with blackface issues in their past to skate free while the black politician gets targeted for removal from office over so-far-unproven sexual assault allegations.

The Quinnipiac poll shows it is black voters more than any other voting bloc who want all three to stay in office. Again from CNN:

Black voters are more apt to say each of the three should remain in office than resign (56% say Northam should not resign, 49% say so about Fairfax, 62% about Herring).

There are a number of things we can perhaps glean from these polls.

Could it be Virginia voters have had time to catch their breath, review all the publicly available information, and determine that in Northams and Herrings cases both have been apologetic and contrite enough about racially insensitive incidents that occurred over 30 years ago? Its possible.

Could it be Virginia voters have decided in Fairfaxs case that although the allegations (which, unlike Northams and Herrings, are criminal in nature) are deeply disturbing he deserves the benefit of due process? Maybe.

Or could it simply be that Virginians have decided to hypocritically give Democrats the types of second chances that Republicans are only rarely allowed? That scenario is far more likely.

Especially when you consider how much emphasis national and local reporting has put on the fact that all three of the Democrats either resigning or being forced out of office means an evil Republican would be next in line to govern over the state.

The one issue that has been lost in all the coverage and speculation surrounding these scandals is that Gov. Northams extreme position on late-term abortion remains unchanged.

If Democrats manage to overcome the bad optics from all of these scandals and win enough seats to take control of both the state house and senate in the fall elections, that means Kathy Tran or someone like her can push through similar pro-abortion legislation which would effectively legalize infanticide-on-demand in the state.

Virginia Republicans cannot let this to happen.

Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and can be reached viaTwitter.

Here is the original post:
Democrat Privilege: Virginia Gov and AG likely to survive ...