# If the Democrats do well in November, will we see Trump's tax returns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 17, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492 "2018-09-17T20:44:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/21 "2018-09-21T07:10:01Z")
> [@wictor](#): > > I’m sure whatever he’s hiding has something to do with Russia and Putin. The Steele Report currently doesn’t have much credibility, but it alleged that most of Trump’s financial misdeeds were in the Far East. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/22 "2018-09-21T15:15:57Z")
Still, how long should the audit reasonably take? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/23 "2018-09-21T19:13:10Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Still, how long should the audit reasonably take? This one, for a single building, took two years: > **["Unusual" accounting: Inside a Trump business audit](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-a-donald-trump-audit-missing-books-and-unusual-accounting/)** > > NYC audit of a 1980s hotel venture gives a rare glimpse into how a Donald Trump business operates They ended up paying about the amount they had owed, plus all of the legal fees that went into fighting it for two years (presumably) - and lawyers ain’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skinnybones_lampshade/32/2872_2.png) [@Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skinnybones_Lampshade)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/24 "2018-09-23T19:47:45Z")
Some of the later responses have renewed my initial hopes that we may, maybe even quite soon, know exactly why Trump didn’t want his tax return information revealed. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/25 "2018-09-23T19:52:19Z")
[Some more cause for hope](https://www.thisisinsider.com/mueller-interviewed-michael-cohen-trump-russia-collusion-pardon-2018-9): > [@](#): > > Mueller reportedly interviewed Michael Cohen for hours about every aspect of Trump’s dealings with Russia ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/26 "2018-10-02T21:58:47Z")
[Breaking NYT article](https://www.nytimes.com/) on the trump financial edifice, albeit earlier days. Corroborating what everyone who wanted to know knew, but with hard evidence and even more shocking details. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/27 "2018-10-02T22:29:33Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The House doesn’t have the authority to release a person’s private tax information. The Senate doesn’t have the authority to release a person’s private tax information. A prosecutor doesn’t have the authority to release a person’s private tax information. An IRS employee doesn’t have the authority to release a person’s private tax information. > > There are people who have the legal authority to view a person’s private tax information due to their job, but they don’t have the authority to make that information public. Is there a time limit on the confidentiality of all this information? As in, in 50 years when historians are studying the Great Clusterfuck of 2016, will they have access to currently-confidential financial information that we don’t? ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/28 "2018-10-03T00:07:06Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Is there a time limit on the confidentiality of all this information? > > As in, in 50 years when historians are studying the Great Clusterfuck of 2016, will they have access to currently-confidential financial information that we don’t? It’s confidential forever subject to the items that allow it to be disclosed in IRC Sec 6103. [26 U.S. Code § 6103 - Confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information | U.S. Code | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/6103) Congress can get access to anyone’s return, but they can’t publicly reveal it: > [@](#): > > (f)(1) > Upon written request from the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, or the chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Secretary shall furnish such committee with any return or return information specified in such request, except that any return or return information which can be associated with, or otherwise identify, directly or indirectly, a particular taxpayer shall be furnished to such committee only when sitting in closed executive session unless such taxpayer otherwise consents in writing to such disclosure. ---
**Author:** ![Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skinnybones_lampshade/32/2872_2.png) [@Skinnybones\_Lampshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skinnybones_Lampshade)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2018, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/29 "2018-10-05T00:48:45Z")
The Republicans are becoming worried and the Democrats seem to be growing more assertive: > **[Republicans: If Dems Release Trump’s Tax Returns, No One Will Be Safe](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/10/republicans-if-dems-release-trumps-tax-returns-no-one-will-be-safe)** > > The G.O.P. is worried about the little guy, you see. ---
**Author:** ![wictor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@wictor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wictor)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492/30 "2018-10-07T08:45:38Z")
Never. He has too much to hide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-democrats-do-well-in-november-will-we-see-trumps-tax-returns/821492.md?page=1)