Release your taxes

One would least expect the United States to be home to some of the most egregious corruption in recent years. Yet the election of Donald Trump to the presidency has rocketed a businessman in power who has relied on hush payments, tax evasion, and more bribes to maintain his sleazy success.

Donald Trump should release his tax returns to stick to a norm of transparency to the American people and try to prove otherwise that he has not engaged in dodgy tax evasion and other nefarious practices.

Yet on April 16, Trump’s personal lawyer William Consovoy sent a letter to the Treasury Department, accusing a House committee of unlawfully retaliating against a political opponent, attempting to delay the release of the tax returns. In a rather bizarre and problematic moment in the letter, Consovoy likened Trump to the African American struggle for rights, stating:

“What if, during the height of the civil rights movement, the Democrat-controlled House tried to intimidate African-American leaders by requesting their tax returns?”

Consovoy likened this to current attacks by Democrats on Trump.

This question was jarringly insensitive given the fact that Trump has historically echoed white supremacist views, with undeniably racist undertones.

Unfortunately, the fight to release Trump’s tax returns will probably last beyond the 2020 presidential election, denying voters the right to assess his trustworthiness and “decency” as a candidate.
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We will continue to lobby hard for transparency in the highest office in the free world.

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