We have the right to demand transparency from our elected officials and anyone seeking elected office. The need for transparency is greatest when the office that a person seeks or holds is as powerful as President of the United States. Since 1972, presidential candidates have partially met our expectations for transparency by releasing their tax returns. They haven’t released their tax returns because any law requires them to; they have done that because we have demanded that from them.
As a candidate, Donald Trump promised to release his tax returns after completion of IRS audits. So, did you notice that two days after President Trump’s inauguration it was announced that he would not be releasing his tax returns after all? That should concern and anger you, regardless of your party affiliation or who you wanted to be president. This is not a matter of partisan politics. This is a matter of your right as a US citizen to demand transparency from your elected officials. Even if you support President Trump’s policies and plans, you should strongly object to his refusal because of the terrible precedent it sets for the future: being OK with President Trump’s refusal now will allow some future millionaire/billionaire Democratic presidential candidate with questionable financial ties to Wall Street, multinational corporations, and foreign governments to refuse to release tax returns because of a “precedent set by President Trump.”
What you can and should immediately do about this: 1) sign the “We the People” petition (online at whitehouse.gov) for President Trump to release tax returns; 2) send a message to President Trump through the whitehouse.gov website and demand that he release his tax returns; 3) contact Senator Murkowski, Senator Sullivan, and Congressman Young and convey your demand that President Trump release his tax returns; 4) pass this on.
Douglas Pengilly
Kodiak
