A slight majority of voters says the release of former President Trump’s tax returns is important to holding presidents accountable, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds.
Fifty-three percent of registered voters in the Feb. 24-26 survey said Trump’s returns, which were kept private for his entire campaign and term in office, are important for accountability.
By contrast, 47 percent said now that Donald Trump is out of office, there is no reason that anyone needs to see his tax returns.
The survey found 81 percent of Democratic voters and 52 percent of independents voters said the returns are an important part of holding presidents accountable, while 76 percent of Republican respondents said there’s no reason to see them.
Trump broke with decades of tradition when he refused to release his tax returns as he ran for president, a refusal he maintained for all four years in office.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has been investigating potential financial crimes at the Trump Organization, announced last week that it had secured the returns after the Supreme Court rejected another attempt from Trump’s attorneys to shield them.
And on Tuesday, the House Ways and Means committee issued a request to the Biden administration seeking Trump’s tax and financial records.
President Biden, who called for the release of Trump’s taxes on the 2020 campaign trail, has not yet made a decision on whether or not to comply with House Democrats’ request.
The Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among 1,909 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 2.24 percentage points.
—Gabriela Schulte
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