Today, the House Ways and Means Committee was set to hold a hearing in which they would vote on whether or not ex-President Donald J. Trump’s notorious tax information, which Congress was recently and finally able to obtain after an extensive legal battle, would finally be released to the American public after literal years of the now scandal-ridden former president fighting tooth and nail to keep the tax information forever buried and hidden from Congress and the public’s eye.
However, it was only moments into the scheduled hearings that things got bizarre, to say the least.
Congressional officials had only just begun the proceeding, with members of the public and the press seated in the chambers to bear witness to the historic hearing, when suddenly members of the House Ways and Means Committee began to kick people out, escorting individuals out of the committee room.
Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said at the very beginning of the meeting, “We are meeting today to consider material tax return information protected by section 61-03 of the Internal Revenue Code. Given the confidential nature of the subject matter, I now move that pursuant to clause two G. One of House Rule 11. The committee proceeds to executive session.”
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Ranking Committee member Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) interjected, “Mr. Chairman, if I may be recognized. Mr. Chairman I ask unanimous consent of any taxpayer information is public as a result of the mark of today. The entirety of today’s executive transcript he made public as well as transparency is a precedent as we’ve discussed in both 2014 and 2019.”
Neal responded, “I think we’re in broad agreement with the gentleman’s request. Is there any objection hearing? None question is on the ranking members’ request that the documents, not the documents that the proceedings be made public at the appropriate time, proceeding based upon availability all in favor.”
It was at that point that the Committee began removing everyone from the hearing and escorting them out of the room.
This sudden turn came just shortly after video footage captured aides quite literally rolling carts full of boxes containing documents that were assumably Donald Trump’s tax information into the committee room.
Documents were just rolled into the hearing room where the House Ways and Means Committee will meet to discuss former President Donald Trump’s tax returns. pic.twitter.com/OtZe6LQbtc
— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) December 20, 2022
Watch the beginning moments of the hearing, before the cameras were cut, here:
WATCH: The US House Ways and Means Committee could approve the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns. The information would give insight into Trump’s personal and corporate financial state from 2015 to 2020.
More details: https://t.co/jUtYUT4EDX https://t.co/Cthr1fgRwu
— Shuja Ahmed Ch. (@iShujaAhmedCh) December 20, 2022
Featured image via screen capture
