The Treasury Department has handed over Donald Trump’s tax returns to a committee in the US House of Representatives. The Supreme Court ordered that the records should be given to the panel. It is not clear if the returns will be made public, or what they will reveal.
Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing. He declined to release the documents during his 2016 presidential run or subsequently – breaking a decades-old presidential custom. Trump recently announced a bid to run for the White House again in 2024, and has described the efforts to obtain his tax documents as politically motivated.
Various details about his finances have already emerged as he faces a range of investigations, including into his business dealings. It is therefore unknown whether the tax return information will yield any major new revelations. The panel in question – the Ways and Means Committee – is investigating whether presidents are being properly audited, and whether new laws are needed. However, it may not have long to do its work – the House will only be controlled by the Democratic Party for a few more weeks, before Trump’s Republicans take over in January.