TEXT OF NEAL’s LETTER (@BOTTOM): (and oh yeah it’s not really a subpeona… yet!)
Oh man. I was getting worried about old Rich Neal.
Not only is he the rep. from my native district in MA, he was a teacher in my HS while he was a city councilor and before he became Mayor of Springfield and then Congressman. (My brother actually had him for his social studies class!) Really good to see this. I felt bad he was taking heat from lots of folks waiting for him to do this, but I do know Pelosi had a strategy for how to do it.
Anyway, let the games begin!
get the popcorn!
canvas for Dems!
take heart! etc…..
Excerpt of Neal’s statement from Ways and Means:
“I today submitted to IRS Commissioner Rettig my request for six years of the president’s personal tax returns as well as the returns for some of his business entities. We have completed the necessary groundwork for a request of this magnitude and I am certain we are within our legitimate legislative, legal, and oversight rights.
“I take the authority to make this request very seriously, and I approach it with the utmost care and respect. 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. My actions reflect an abiding reverence for our democracy and our institutions, and are in no way based on emotion of the moment or partisanship. I trust that in this spirit, the IRS will comply with Federal law and furnish me with the requested documents in a timely manner.”
www.nytimes.com/…
House Democrat Demands Six Years of Trump Tax Returns From I.R.S.
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 Trump’s 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….
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. Harding’s administration, at least on its face gives the Trump administration little room to decline a request like Mr. Neal’s. It only says that the Treasury secretary “shall” furnish the information.
www.nytimes.com/...?
off FFS:
I can’t even….
Anyway. here’s the text of the letter: (I bolded some stuff!) ;)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The Honorable Charles P. Rettig
Commissioner
Internal Revenue Service
1111 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20224
Dear Commissioner Rettig:
The Committee on Ways and Means ("Committee") has oversight and legislative authority over our Federal tax laws. With this authority comes a responsibility to ensure that the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") is enforcing the laws in a fair and impartial manner.
Consistent with its authority, the Committee is considering legislative proposals and conducting oversight related to our Federal tax laws, including, but not limited to, the extent to which the IRS audits and enforces the Federal tax laws against a President. Under the Internal Revenue Manual, individual income tax returns of a President are subject to mandatory examination, but this practice is IRS policy and not codified in the Federal tax laws. It is necessary for the Committee to determine the scope of any such examination and whether it includes a review of underlying business activities required to be reported on the individual income tax return.
Pursuant to my authority under Internal Revenue Code section 6103(f), for each of the tax years 2013 through 2018,1 request the following return and return information:
1. The Federal individual income tax returns of Donald J. Trump.
2. For each Federal individual income tax return requested above, a statement specifying:
(a) whether such return is or was ever under any type of examination or audit;
(b) the length of such examination or audit;
(c) the applicable statute of limitations on such examination or audit;
(d) the issue(s) under examination or audit;
(e) the reason(s) the return was selected for examination or audit; and
(f) the present status of such examination or audit (to include the date and description of the most recent return or return information activity).
3. All administrative files (workpapers, affidavits, etc.) for each Federal individual income tax return requested above
4. The Federal income tax returns of the following entities:
• The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust;
• DJT Holdings LLC;
• DJT Holdings Managing Member LLC;
• DTTM Operations LLC;
• DTTM Operations Managing Member Corp;
• LFB Acquisition Member Corp;
• LFB Acquisition LLC; and
• Lamington Farm Club, LLC d/b/a Trump National Golf Club—Bedminster.
5. For each Federal income tax return of each entity listed above, a statement specifying:
(a) whether such return is or was ever under any type of examination or audit;
(b) the length of such examination or audit;
(c) the applicable statute of limitations on such examination or audit;
(d) the issue(s) under examination or audit;
(e) the reason(s) the return was selected for examination or audit; and
(f) the present status of such examination or audit (to include the date and description of the most recent return or return information activity).
6. All administrative files (workpapers, affidavits, etc.) for each Federal income tax return of each entity listed above.
7. If no return was filed for the tax year requested, a statement that the entity or individual did not file a return for such tax year.
This document is a record of the Committee and is entrusted to the IRS only for use in handling this matter. Additionally, any documents created by the IRS in connection with a response to this Committee document, including (but not limited to) any replies to the Committee, are records of the Committee and shall be segregated from agency records and remain subject to the control of the Committee. Accordingly, the aforementioned documents are not "agency records" for purposes of the Freedom of Information Act. Absent explicit Committee authorization, access to this document and any responsive documents shall be limited to IRS personnel who need such access for the purpose of providing information or assistance to the Committee.
Please provide the requested return and return information by April 10, 2019. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Richard E. Neal, Chairman
www.scribd.com/…