A federal appeals court ruled that the House Ways and Means Committee can access former President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
The committee requested the documents in 2019. The committee wanted the returns to oversee the Internal Revenue Service’s annual audits of presidential tax returns.
The Treasury Department, which manages the IRS, denied Congress’ request.
The judges ruled that the request was made “in furtherance of a subject upon which legislation could be had.” The judges also ruled that any argument that Congress’ request was “retaliatory” was “irrelevant.”
Trump’s remaining option would be to appeal to the Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court may or may not rule on the case, it could be enough to delay enforcement of Tuesday’s ruling past the midterm elections when Republicans could take control of the House.
Trump was the only major party presidential candidate in recent decades not to publicly release his tax returns.
