Hatch says Trump ‘may have to’ release his tax returns
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Wednesday said President Trump “may have to” release his tax returns following a bombshell New York Times report that found Trump participated in “dubious” and potentially fraudulent tax strategies in the 1990s.
Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told CNN he would be “happy” to look into the report’s allegations.
{mosads}”He may have to … give up those returns,” Hatch said. But Hatch declined to say if he would seek the returns himself, adding, “I don’t know. I’ve been in so many things.”
The Times on Tuesday released a year-long investigation that concluded Trump and his siblings set up a “sham” corporation to help avoid millions of dollars in taxes on gifts from their parents.
Trump called the report a “hit piece” but did not deny its assertions. His attorney called it “100% false.”
The president still has not released his tax returns, breaking with a longtime presidential tradition.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday said she is not “aware” of any plans by Trump to release the returns.
Hatch has previously said he “doesn’t see any real justification” for releasing the tax returns.
Trump’s refusal to release his returns became a flashpoint issue during his bid for the presidency, when former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and other Democratic lawmakers questioned what they alleged he might be hiding.
Though the statute of limitations has passed for many of the alleged schemes by Trump and his family laid out in the Times report, there is no time limit on civil penalties for tax fraud. New York state tax officials on Tuesday launched a review into the allegations.
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