Prior to his election, it was made very clear Trump tax returns would not be released, but Democrats haven’t let go of that bone.
A bill, passed by Democratic majorities in the California state legislature, would have required public release of tax returns (like the Trump tax returns) as a prerequisite for getting on the 2020 ballot. Other states have tried this in the past and the bills were vetoed by the states’ governors.
The California bill was no different; Democratic Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the bill in California which would have required any presidential candidate to publicly release five years of tax returns in order to be eligible for the primary ballot.
In a veto message, Brown said the tax return requirement goes too far. According to CNN, Brown said:
“While I recognize the political attractiveness —even the merits —of getting President Trump’s tax returns, I worry about the political perils of individual states seeking to regulate presidential elections in this manner. First, it may not be constitutional. Second, it sets a ‘slippery slope’ precedent. Today we require tax returns, but what would be next? Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate? High school report cards? And will these requirements vary depending on which political party is in power?
“A qualified candidate’s ability to appear on the ballot is fundamental to our democratic system. For that reason, I hesitate to start down a road that well might lead to an ever-escalating set of differing state requirements for presidential candidates.”
Trump said during his campaign that he would release his tax returns once he was no longer under IRS audit. The details of the audit have not been made public and since his election to office, team Trump’s argument is the taxpayers no longer care.
“As you know, I’m under routine audit, so they’re not going to be done. But you know, at a certain point, that’s something I will consider,” Trump told the Economist in May. “But I would never consider it as part of a deal. I think that would be unfair to the deal. It would be disrespectful of the importance of this deal.”
American might see those Trump tax returns yet; Trump added that he’s very proud of his tax returns, and he might release them when he’s out of office.
