Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness, released the following statement today on the decision by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal to file a lawsuit to compel the Treasury Department to furnish Donald Trump’s personal and business tax returns for the last six years.

“It’s unfortunate that the committee has to resort to court action to compel the president to do what every past president for 40 years has done voluntarily. As we pointed out in our report The Case for Congress Obtaining Trump’s Tax Returns, which the Ways and Means Committee complaint cited (Pg. 25), the public deserves to know if the president is a serial tax dodger (as we suspect), has compromising financial relationships with public officials or business people in Russia or other foreign countries, or has any other conflicts of interest that could adversely affect the exercise of his official duties, such as legislation he wants Congress to enact into law.

“We commend Chairman Neal for taking this step to obtain Trump’s tax returns pursuant to the committee’s mandate to oversee that our nation’s tax laws are being adhered to by all taxpayers, especially the president, and faithfully executed by the Treasury Department and the IRS.”