Two House Committees are preparing to look, at long last, at Donald Trump's tax returns.
They are gaining access to those returns using a frequently utilized 100-year-old IRS statute, Internal Revenue Code 6103:
IRC 6103(d) provides that return information may be shared with state agencies responsible for tax administration. The state agency must request this information in writing, and the request must be signed by an official designated to request tax information.
House Ways and Means is considered a state agency responsible for tax administration. They use this code frequently in their work. Chairman Richard Neal is opening hearings today with three experts to prove that he has the right to get Trump's returns directly from the IRS.
While the Intelligence Committees will be looking at possible foreign financial influence on the so-called president, Ways and Means will be investigating whether Trump cheated on his taxes. There's a precedent for this.
David Cay Johnston appeared on CNN's New Day on Thursday. He's seen some of Trump's tax returns as part of his own research, and notes that yes, Trump cheated on his tax returns. He was found guilty of taking improper deductions on two separate occasions.
No wonder Trump is freaking out about "Presidential harassment" this morning.
