In his press conference this week, popular vote loser and master BSer Trump famously declared,
"You know, the only one [sic] that cares about my tax returns are the reporters, okay? They’re the only ones," he said, saying he thought the American public isn’t concerned about it. "I won; I mean, I became president. No, I don’t think they care at all. I don’t think they care at all. I think you care."
In fact, American voters care a lot about Trump’s finances. In the Quinnipiac poll of U.S. voters released this week, 72% “support a review of President-elect Trump's finances to identify possible conflicts of interest that may interfere with his job as president,” while just 22% oppose such a review. Even 52% of Republicans support a review of Trump’s finances.
Meanwhile, the same poll found an even more disturbing result: 60% are very concerned (40%) or somewhat concerned (20%) “that President-elect Trump would veto a law that would be good for the country because it would hurt his business interests.”
Regarding taxes specifically, back in August a Quinnipiac poll found that 74% of voters overall wanted Trump to publicly release his tax returns, including 62% of Republicans. On January 10, the Pew Research Center reported a drop to 60%, but still a solid majority. (Among Republican voters, the figure magically dropped to 38%.)
Release of Trump’s taxes would clearly be a first step in any review of his finances. But much more is needed, as Rep. Elijah Cummings, Ranking Member of the House committee on Oversight and Government Reform, requested back on Nov. 14, in his letter to Chairman Jason Chaffetz.
I am writing to request that the Oversight Committee immediately begin conducting a review of President-elect Donald Trump’s financial arrangements to ensure that he does not have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest and that he and his advisors comply with all legal and regulatory ethical requirements when he assumes the presidency.
We have never had a president like Mr. Trump in terms of his vast financial entanglements and his widespread business interests around the globe. Moreover, we have not had a presidential candidate in modern times who has refused to disclose his tax returns to the American people. Mr. Trump’s unprecedented secrecy and his extensive business dealings in foreign countries raise serious questions about how he intends to avoid conflicts of interest as president.
Yet again, Trump is DEAD WRONG. American voters care about ethics and corruption, and they do not trust him or his family to put the country first.
My Representative in Congress, Peter Welch (D-VT), is a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and I plan to call him to demand action on this issue.
Let’s keep up the pressure!
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