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Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) on Sept. 28 called for an investigation into the source of a report published on Sept. 27 that claimed President Donald Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.
In a statement, Brady, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said thereâs the âprospectâ of a felony crime in the leaking of the presidentâs tax information to The New York Times, which published the report.
âWhile many critics question the articleâs accuracy, equally troubling is the prospect that a felony crime was committed by releasing the private tax return information of an individualâin this case, the Presidentâs,â Brady said on Sept. 28.
âTo ensure every American is protected against the illegal release of their tax returns for political reasons, I am calling for an investigation of the source and to prosecute if the law was broken.â
The New York Times didnât immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
The paper on Sept. 27 reported that Trump paid the sum in the year he won the presidency and in his first year in the Oval Office. The paper said it obtained the long-sought-after tax information for the president, alleging that he paid no federal income taxes in 11 of the 18 years it examined, saying he suffered overall financial losses.
The publication said its sources had legal access to the documents, and denied a request by a lawyer for the Trump Organization for access, to protect the identities of the sources.
The day after its publication, Trump and the White House dismissed the reportâs claims as inaccurate.
âItâs fake news. Itâs totally fake news,â Trump told reporters at a White House press briefing after he was asked about the report.
âMade up. Fake.â
The president, repeating an assertion heâs made a number of times over the last few years, said heâs unable to release his financial records because heâs being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
âItâs under audit. Theyâve been under audit for a long time,â he said. âThe IRS does not treat me well.â
Trump added, âWhen theyâre not [under audit], I would be proud to show [them].â
The president said he paid a considerable amount of taxes over the years. âFirst of all, I paid a lot,â he said. âI paid a lot of state income taxes too. New York State charges a lot.â
That information will be released in due time, Trump said, adding that it will only be done when the audit is finished.
âItâll all be revealed,â he said. âI look forward to releasing many things. Iâm going to release many things and people will be really shocked.â