Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, says releasing former President Donald Trump's tax returns could be used as a "dangerous" political weapon.
His comments came just before the House Ways and Means Committee released Trump's returns for 2015 through 2020, doing so to review "how the IRS enforces the federal tax laws against, and ensures compliance by a president."
Brady said going forward, "the majority chairman of the House, Ways and Means committee and the Senate Finance committee will have unlimited power to target and make public the tax returns of private citizens and not just private citizens, political enemies, business and labor leaders or even the returns of Supreme Court justices themselves.
"No party in Congress should have that power, no individuals in Congress should have that power. It's the power to embarrass, harass or destroy Americans through disclosures of their tax returns."
House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in a report said the IRS process for auditing the presidents' tax returns needs an overhaul.
He also said the agency only launched one mandatory examination of Trump's tax records while he was in office and completed no audits.
Brady said Democrats "are unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that's going to have severe consequences."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.