Judge gives Trump time to challenge congressional tax return disclosure

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President Donald Trump arrives for a photo with mayors from across the country on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

Erin Scott | Reuters

A federal judge is giving former President Donald Trump time to challenge a Justice Department order that says the IRS must turn over his tax returns to Congress.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Trevor McFadden said Trump and his attorney have until Wednesday to issue a response.

Neither Trump nor his lawyers said if they would obey Friday’s order.

On Friday, the Justice Department said the former president’s tax returns should be released by the IRS to Congress, the reversal of its position taken during the Trump administration.

The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said in a 39-page opinion that the Democratic-led Committee on Ways and Means had submitted a request for the legitimate legislative purpose of seeing Trump’s tax returns, with the stated goal of assessing how the IRS would audit presidents. tax revenue.

Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Friday’s decision comes more than a year after the US Supreme Court said Trump’s tax returns should be referred by his longtime accountants to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., due to a subpoena issued as part of a criminal investigation.

In July, Vance accused the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with crimes related to a “bold and comprehensive” scheme since 2005 to avoid paying taxes on compensation.

Trump, who has broken decades of precedent set by candidates and previous presidents by refusing to release his income tax returns, has repeatedly said that his files are under scrutiny by the IRS.

However, taxpayers are allowed to release their returns to the public during the review.

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