Kevin Brady on Trump tax return release: ‘This is a dangerous new precedent’

Rep. Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, said on Sunday that former President Trump’s release of his tax returns during his presidency had set a “dangerous new precedent.”

“This is a dangerous new precedent, overturning 50 years of protections for American taxpayers that began in the Watergate era,” Brady said on Fox News Sunday.

Brady, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee that oversees U.S. tax law, said the release showed the committee’s leaders have “almost unlimited power to target civilians.” rice field.

Brady, a former chairman of the committee and one of several members leaving Congress this year, said such power could be used to embarrass or politically subvert anyone in the future. I said it is possible.

“As I said, the list of enemies is back, and all Americans should be horrified by this precedent.

On Friday, the Ways and Means Commission released the former president’s six-year business and personal tax returns, including 46 documents on hundreds of pages that showed Trump’s businesses were operating at a loss.

Trump claimed that during the 2016 election campaign and while he was president, he was under audit and was customarily unable to release his tax returns.

But the release of a report from the commission showed that no audit had been conducted during the first two years of his presidency, as mandated. Audit is not complete.

Brady claimed Trump had been audited for all six years subject to release.

“I mean, all six years that have been released are still under audit. Whether it should be done and whether private taxpayer returns will be released and made public,” Brady said.