November 11, 2019
By Lucien Bruggeman
The president's lawsuit (click here) named the House Ways and Means Committee, New York Attorney General Letitia James and the commissioner of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, Michael Schmidt. ABC News reported at the time that Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has hesitated to use the new law to request the president's state returns.
In their complaint, Trump's lawyers claimed that Neal had "expressed a renewed interest in utilizing" the statute.
Nichols wrote that "such a speculative statement" about Rep. Richard Neal's "interest in utilizing" the TRUST Act "does not satisfy" the court.
Shortly after the judge issued his ruling, New York Attorney General Letitia James released a statement applauding the decision.
"We have said all along that this lawsuit should be dismissed and we are pleased with the court’s conclusion," James said. "The TRUST Act is an important tool that will ensure accountability to millions of Americans who deserve to know the truth. We have never doubted that this law was legal, which is why we vigorously defended it from the start and will continue to do so."....
It takes a country!
May 22, 2019
By Brad Holyman
Senator Hoylman: (click here) “We are affirming Congress’s role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land.”...
...Senator Hoylman said: “New York has a unique role to help head off the constitutional crisis brewing between Congress and the White House over refusal to comply with the request for Donald Trump’s tax returns. With today’s vote in support of the TRUST Act, the State Legislature will allow the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to cooperate with Congressional tax committees requesting the state returns of public officials, including the president....
