House Committee Releases Six Years of Trump's Tax Returns

The Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns Friday morning. 

For Context: The release includes documents from 2015 to 2020, spanning Trump’s term in office and two years prior. The former president’s taxes came into the political spotlight when he refused to release them during his 2016 campaign, defying decades of precedent. The House Ways and Means Committee sought for years to uncover Trump’s tax returns, and Trump sued in 2019 to keep the documents from the committee. The committee released a report earlier this month summarizing its review of the documents and its findings. The committee also sought to investigate why the IRS, which is required to audit sitting presidents’ taxes, did not open an audit of Trump during his term until 2019. 

Key Quotes: Trump criticized the committee, calling the release an “outrageous abuse of power” and saying the documents “once again show how proudly successful I have been.” Meanwhile, committee chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) defended the release, saying, “A president is no ordinary taxpayer. They hold power and influence unlike any other American. And with great power comes even greater responsibility.”

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was widespread and prominently featured across the spectrum. With some notable exceptions, left-rated outlets tended to attribute the release to the committee; right-rated outlets, on the other hand, tended to attribute the release to “House Democrats.”