CAFE Insider: Hide & Seek: Trump's Taxes, Mueller's Report

04/08/19

Preet and Anne discuss: ·      

• The fight to get President Trump’s tax returns
• What members of Mueller’s team are saying about Bill Barr’s summary of the Special Counsel’s conclusions
• Whether grand jury materials will be redacted from the Mueller report and the relevance of McKeever v. Barr, a new decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
• The resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

WEBBY AWARDS

Stay Tuned with Preet has been nominated for a Webby Award for the best individual episode of a podcast. The selection is Preet’s interview with Bill Browder, a financier who became the driving force behind the Magnitsky Act and is now often described as President Putin’s #1 foe.

If you haven’t already, check out the episode, and cast your vote for Stay Tuned at webbyawards.com, in the podcast category. We appreciate your support!

REFERENCES AND SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

Check out Preet’s book, “Doing Justice” – it’s now #5 on the NYT best seller list and among the nine books recommended by the Times book editor.

The President’s Tax Returns

• 26 U.S.C. § 6103, Confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information, Legal Information Institute  
• House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal’s letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, requesting 6 years of Trump’s tax returns, 4/3/19
• Trump attorney William Consovoy’s letter to General Counsel of the Treasury Brent McIntosh, asserting the President’s right to keep the tax returns private, 4/5/19
• “Trump says he’s being subjected to the ‘highest level of Presidential Harassment’ in history amid Democratic investigations,” WaPo, 4/4/19
• “Trump Asked That Confirmation of I.R.S. Counsel Be a Priority, NYT, 4/4/19
• “Mulvaney says Democrats will ‘never’ obtain Trump’s taxes,” NBCNews, 4/7/19
• “In questioning Cohen, Ocasio-Cortez focuses on potential Trump fraud,” Yahoo Finance, 2/27/19
• “Why We Ask to See Candidates’ Tax Returns,” NYT, 8/5/16
• “JCT Investigation of Nixon’s Tax Returns,” by Professor Joseph Thorndike for the United States Capitol Historical Society, February 2016
• “Where the Benghazi Committee Went Wrong,” New Yorker, 10/22/15

Bill Barr & The Mueller Report

• “Some on Mueller’s Team Say Report Was More Damaging Than Barr Revealed,” NYT, 4/3/19
• “Limited information Barr has shared about Russia investigation frustrated some on Mueller’s team,” WaPo, 4/4/19
• Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler’s letter to Attorney General Bill Bar requesting any summaries prepared by the Special Counsel’s Office, as well as any related communications between the Justice Department and the Special Counsel’s Office.
• Department of Justice statement in response to reports from the NYT, Washington Post, and NBC News that members of Mueller’s team have expressed concerns over Barr’s characterizations of Mueller’s conclusions, 4/4/19
• The House Judiciary Committee’s resolution authorizing subpoenas to obtain the full Mueller report and all the underlying evidence
• “House Dems authorize subpoena for full Mueller report,” Politico, 4/3/19
• “Appeals court narrows path for disclosure of grand jury info in Mueller report,” Politico, 4/5/19
• “William Barr’s Choices,” New Yorker, 4/7/19
• McKeever v. Barr (D.C. Cir. 2019)
• Haldeman v. Sirica (D.C. Cir. 1974)
• Rule 6, The Grand Jury, Legal Information Institute

Kirstjen Nielsen out as DHS Secretary

• “Kirstjen Nielsen Resigns as Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary,” NYT, 4/7/19
• Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation letter
• “Nominations: A Historical Overview,” United States Senate

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