The real reason House Democrats chose today to go after Donald Trump’s tax returns

| 6:35 pm EST March 1, 2019
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It’s the big moment you’ve been waiting for, or one of the big moments, at least: House Democrats just let it be known to NBC News that they’re going after Donald Trump’s tax returns. This leads to the question of why they’re choosing right now to make the move, as opposed to several weeks ago when they first took majority control, and as opposed to waiting even longer. There’s a rather straightforward answer, and an important one.

Even with subpoena power, House Democrats can’t simply wave a magic wand and have Donald Trump’s tax returns appear before them. Trump’s guy Steve Mnuchin runs the Treasury Department, and Mnuchin is corrupt enough to try to fight the subpoena. The battle will quickly end up in court, likely the Supreme Court, and there it’ll probably be decided by swing vote John Roberts. He likes to focus in on the preponderance of the evidence, which is why House Democrats have waited until right now.

We all know Donald Trump is a lifelong financial criminal, but that’s not a valid legal argument for pulling his tax returns. On the other hand, Michael Cohen just finished producing a few specific pieces of hard evidence that Donald Trump has committed financial fraud. This gives House Democrats a strong legal argument for winning the battle to get their hands on Trump’s tax returns.

What’s more, Cohen’s testimony has blown open the door such that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, and convicted Russian mafia money launderer Felix Sater, are now set to quickly testify about Donald Trump’s financial crimes as well. Their testimony will further boost House Democrats’ legal argument for getting their hands on Trump’s tax returns, just as Trump begins trying to fight it in court. The game is afoot.