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Blumenthal Wants To Require Trump Cabinet Picks To Disclose Taxes

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal wants to the Senate and the American public to know more about the financial dealings of President-Elect Donald Trump's nominees for the Cabinet. 

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness, File

On Monday, the Connecticut Democrat unveiled a new legislative push to amend Senate rules to compel all cabinet nominees to release at least three years of tax returns.

Despite promising to “drain the swamp,” many of Trump’s cabinet nominees are wealthy insiders with longstanding ties to deep-pocketed special interests, Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said in a statement. "Right now, only select Senate committees have the authority to require Presidential nominees to produce tax returns—an oversight Democrats will seek to correct in the next session," he said.

"Trump enters the White House with unprecedented potential conflicts of interest resulting from his international business empire and holdings within the United States," Blumenthal said. 

Trump has promised publicly to separate from his business empire, and will share details of how he will accomplish that in a press conference Dec. 15. "Without access to his tax returns, the American public has no way to verify that Trump has in fact fully severed ties from his business interests, including vast international holdings," Blumenthal said.

In addition, Blumenthal is supporting a Senate resolution that calls on Trump to divest from his interests in order to ensure compliance with the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution.

“The American people deserve to know that their government will work for them. Nothing short of full transparency and disclosure on behalf of the President-elect and his nominees will give taxpayers confidence that this administration is acting in their interest—not on behalf of big corporations and special interests,” Blumenthal said. “Public trust and confidence in this administration absolutely requires release of tax returns, which provide a way to identify conflicting private interests.”

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