Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked a House committee from getting Donald Trump's tax returns, issuing an interim order that gives the U.S. Supreme Court more time to consider the former president's bid for a lengthier delay.
The House Ways and Means Committee had been set to get six years of tax returns as soon as Thursday after a federal appeals court rejected Trump's latest bid to block the transfer from the Internal Revenue Service. In his two-sentence
Trump on Monday
Trump told the Supreme Court that the committee lacks a legitimate legislative purpose and that the effort is a pretext to expose the documents "for the sake of exposure." He said the case presents "important questions about the separation of powers that will affect every future President."
The committee has said it needs the returns to consider future legislation on issues like presidential compliance with tax rules, public accountability and mandatory IRS audit policy for presidents.
"The Ways and Means Committee maintains the law is on our side, and will file a timely response as requested," said committee spokeswoman Dylan Peachey in an emailed statement. She said the committee's chairman, Democratic Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, "looks forward to the Supreme Court's expeditious consideration."
The case dates back to 2019, when Neal asked the IRS for Trump's returns, citing a
The Treasury Department refused to comply with the request while Trump was in office and the committee went to court to enforce it. Trump picked up the fight on his own when the department under the Biden administration said that it would turn over the documents.
The case is Trump v. Committee on Ways and Means,
