Anyone who celebrates the Congressional search for any smidgen of dirt on Donald Trump might want to consider that if this continues, it could happen to any President or any citizen. The two-plus year witch hunt needs to end, and those responsible need to be held accountable. The latter seems to be about to happen. The former has no end in sight.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday The City Journal<\/a> posted an article about Congress’ demand for President Trump’s tax returns (including years he was not in office). This is harassment. However, you only have to look at the events of the past week or so to find out what is actually going on–the quest for tax returns is simply a bright shiny object put in front of the American public to divert from the news that John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, will be investigating the origins of the surveillance on the Trump campaign and transition team.<\/p>\n The article points out:<\/p>\n Disappointed by Robert Mueller\u2019s failure to demonstrate President Trump\u2019s perfidy, Democrats are focusing anew on the president\u2019s tax returns. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is refusing to order the release of Trump\u2019s federal returns to the House, saying that there is no legislative purpose for doing so, but a new effort to expose Trump\u2019s tax history runs through Albany, where Democrats in 2018 gained solid control of the state senate for the first time in decades. Governor Andrew Cuomo has promised to sign a bill making its way through the legislature that would submit any New Yorker\u2019s state tax returns to Congress, on request from the chairs of any of three revenue-related committees.<\/strong><\/p>\n The excitement among Democrats is palpable. \u201cWe are facing a constitutional showdown,\u201d says State Senator Brad Hoylman, the legislation\u2019s sponsor. \u201cNew York, as the home of the president\u2019s state taxes, has a special responsibility to step into the breach.\u201d Assemblywoman Pat Fahy concurs, saying that \u201cwe can help hold the president accountable and we will set future precedents for all elected officials, that neither you as a president nor your business interests are above the law.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Is anyone going to want to run for office under these ‘new’ rules?<\/p>\n The article concludes:<\/p>\n It\u2019s likely that Trump\u2019s pursuers don\u2019t expect to find smoking guns in Trump\u2019s tax returns. Decades in public life, including multiple infamous bankruptcies, have produced no hint of major scandal or criminality. So why should we expect his tax returns\u2014already submitted to the government and scrutinized by forensic professionals with power to arrest\u2014to reveal anything shocking?<\/strong><\/p>\n Those demanding Trump\u2019s tax returns probably just want to embarrass him by proving old rumors that he isn\u2019t as rich as he pretends to be. For all this effort, though, that would be a weak payoff\u2014especially since the people likely to care about such revelations aren\u2019t Trump voters, anyway.<\/strong><\/p>\n This is what desperation looks like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Anyone who celebrates the Congressional search for any smidgen of dirt on Donald Trump might want to consider that if this continues, it could happen to any President or any citizen. The two-plus year witch hunt needs to end, and … Continue reading