Trump’s Attempt to Glimpse IRS Deliberations Exposed
Former President Donald Trump attempted to gain a behind-the-scenes look at the Internal Revenue Service's deliberations by inundating the agency with a deluge of Freedom of Information Act requests. This effort, which was undertaken as the IRS was preparing to turn over Trump's personal tax returns to a congressional committee, was revealed in documents obtained by Bloomberg News.[0]
In two separate FOIA requests from June 2019, Trump asked the IRS to provide any documents related to their “consideration of the potential disclosure of taxpayer’s tax returns” and records about “tax procedures specific to the president of the United States.”[1] He also asked for communications between then-IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and other officials “in connection with the disclosure or potential disclosure of any taxpayer materials” stemming from the House request.[2]
Trump further requested any records the IRS gave to Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, about a confidential draft memo the IRS prepared in anticipation of Congress’ requests for Trump’s tax returns.[2] This memo had been sent to the IRS by Wyden in a letter asking if the memo contradicted the Treasury’s Department’s position on disclosure requirements.[0]
Trump’s efforts to drag out the legal challenge to his tax returns eventually proved unsuccessful in late December 2022, when Democrats made six years of his personal and business taxes publicly available.[0] But this FOIA request reveals a new level of scrutiny that the former president employed during his time in office.
0. “Trump Used FOIA Requests to Get Look Behind the Scenes of Talks Over His Taxes” CPAPracticeAdvisor.com, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2023/01/30/trump-used-foia-requests-to-get-look-behind-the-scenes-of-talks-over-his-taxes/76286/
1. “Trump Peppered IRS for Details About Release of His Tax Returns” Bloomberg Tax, 30 Jan. 2023, https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/trump-peppered-irs-for-details-about-release-of-his-tax-returns
2. “Trump used Freedom of Information Act request to slow IRS release of his taxes” The Independent, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-irs-tax-returns-release-b2272263.html
