A WhiteHouse.gov petition demanding that President Trump release his tax returns has surpassed 140,000 signatures — a figure that would require the White House to respond if the new administration continues to follow a policy instituted by its predecessor.
“The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution,” the petition reads.
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Trump broke with decades of precedent by refusing to release his tax returns during the presidential campaign, citing a “routine audit.” A leaked partial tax return obtained by the New York Times last year showed that Trump might have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years.
More than 146,000 people had signed the WhiteHouse.gov petition by Saturday at 4:30 p.m., just a day after Trump was sworn in.
The Obama administration established a policy of responding to any WhiteHouse.gov petition that received more than 100,000 signatures in 30 days. It’s not yet clear whether the Trump administration plans to do the same.
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