By: Emma Simon
On November 22nd, the US Supreme Court allowed a House committee to obtain former President Donald Trump's tax returns. Yesterday, the House gained access to these files, marking the end of a three-year-long fight in which the former President has fought for the release of his tax returns to be blocked.
Democrat Richard Neal from Massachusetts initially requested the tax returns in 2019, and the IRS, under the Trump administration, refused to turn them over. In addition, Mike Pence, the former vice president to Donald Trump, was asked by the Department of Justice to sit for questioning about the insurrection and riot at the capitol on January 6.
The former vice president is said to be considering the task. For the January 6th committee, Mike Pence could serve as an invaluable witness who could help establish, in detail, exactly how Trump's pressuring him to deny the certification of Biden's victory in office led to the violent insurrection on January 6th.
Mr. Pence's testimony could also prove vital to the decision on whether or not the committee has enough information to make a criminal referral of Donald Trump to the Department of Justice (DOJ). A criminal referral from the January 6th committee would carry little legal weight, but it would increase public pressure on the Department of Justice.
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