WASHINGTON — President Trump won’t be releasing any of his tax records now that he’s in the Oval Office.
“The White House response is that he’s not going to release his tax returns,” Kellyanne Conway, a top White House adviser, said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“We litigated this all through the election. People didn’t care. They voted for him, and let me make this very clear: most Americans are very focused on what their tax returns will look like while President Trump is in office, not what his look like.”
Trump broke with tradition and refused to release his tax returns citing an ongoing IRS audit but pledged the tax documents would be released upon completion. But Conway made clear Sunday in an interview outside the White House the taxes won’t be forthcoming at any point in the new Administration.
A White House petition created Friday has already garnered more than 200,000 signatures — double the amount needed to warrant a response from the White House.
Conway said Sunday she’s delivering the official response to the petitioners: No taxes are needed.
“You know full well that President Trump and his family are complying with all the ethical rules, everything they need to do to step away from his businesses and be a full-time president,” Conway said.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said Trump needs to do more to separate from his business interests to avoid violating a clause in the Constitution to protect against corrupting foreign interests.
“The Emoluments Clause has never been tested, because we’ve never had a president who’s refused to give up his personal investments and other things,” Schumer told “ABC’s “This Week.” “My advice to President Trump, get rid of it. It could cause you real trouble.”