Odds Say Congress Won’t Obtain President Trump’s Tax Returns; Allen Weisselberg Will Testify
- Democrats in Congress are thought to be just days away from requesting President Donald Trump’s tax returns
- Odds suggest the Democrats won’t be successful in their quest
- The sportsbook also offers prop wagers on whether David Pecker or Allen Weisselberg will testify before Congress
April is fast approaching and that means it will soon be tax season. But for President Donald Trump, his tax returns figure to be in demand long before then.
.@RepRichardNeal says he wants to build a strong legal case for obtaining Mr. Trump's tax returns before he moves forward. Here’s the case. It’s already been made. Time to send the letter. https://t.co/xjtf3NL6IF
— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) March 11, 2019
New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell is heading a Congressional charge in pursuit of Trump’s tax returns. Pascrell insists this look into Trump’s financial records is necessary. It will determine whether the President has any conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest that could impact national security.
The odds are of the opinion that Congress won’t be successful in its pursuit of Trump’s financial history.
Odds on Congress Getting President Donald Trump’s Tax Returns
| Will Congress Get President Donald Trump’s Tax Returns? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +300 |
| No | -500 |
All odds taken 03/11/19.
Congress is expected to make a formal request for Trump’s return within days.
Trump’s Tax Returns a Taxing Dilemma
When he ran for President in 2016, Trump bucked tradition, becoming the first successful Presidential candidate in more than four decades to decline to make his taxes public. Immediately, this raised red flags with people who questioned what it was that Trump was trying to hide.
Think about how hard #MAGA nation would spike the ball in the end zone if Trump released his tax returns and they revealed nothing seriously incriminating.
Now imagine what must be in those returns for Trump to so stubbornly refuse to do it.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 5, 2019
By gaining access to his taxes, the Democrats are hopeful that it will draw them a road map of Trump’s many business dealings and provide the ability to follow the money and see where it leads.
A court isn’t going to provide unfettered access to someone’s personal documents. There must be an iron-clad argument proving why it’s necessary. In other words, Congress won’t be allowed to go on a fishing expedition through Trump’s taxes.
A team of four attorneys has been guiding the House Ways and Means Committee to craft an "air-tight" legal strategy to compel Trump to hand over 10 years of his tax returns, ABC News reports. The Committee aims to submit the request by April 15, Tax Day. https://t.co/3g2wXCmsyx
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 5, 2019
They’ll need to show hard evidence that releasing these documents is vital to their investigation and isn’t merely an abuse of power in a bid to get back at an unpopular President.
Why it Might Not Happen
Almost 90% of all elected officials don’t make their tax returns public. Presidential candidates have done it in order to create the appearance of transparency, but are not compelled to do so.
"Let me say right here, right now. Absolutely Donald Trump should release his tax returns." GOP Rep Matt Gaetz pic.twitter.com/WcQKygIwIu
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) March 4, 2019
Some Republicans called on Trump to release his taxes. Others point out the Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders didn’t release his taxes during the 2016 campaign.
If Democrats are calling for Donald Trump to release his tax returns, the @DNC should NOT let any Democratic candidate appear on the stage during the primary debates unless they’ve released their own tax returns. Anything less would be hypocrisy. RT if you agree.#2020Election
— Jon Cooper ?? (@joncoopertweets) March 11, 2019
Expect Trump to fight tooth an nail to avoid any demand from Congress for his taxes. He’ll do his best to stall the process. If we know anything about Trump, it’s that he doesn’t like others telling him what to do.
The Democrats face a tough fight. They aren’t known for winning tough fights. Go with the no wager here.
Odds on Congress Calling Allen Weisselberg to Testify
| Will Congress Call Allen Weisselberg to Testify? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -400 |
| No | +250 |
One name that kept popping up during Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s testimony before Congress was Allen Weisselberg.
? SIREN: @RepCummings says if Michael Cohen mentioned their names in the hearing yesterday, chances are they will be called in to testify, too. Heads up @DonaldJTrumpJr, Allen Weisselberg, maybe Ivanka & Jared
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) February 28, 2019
He is the Trump Organization CFO. Cohen mentioned Weisselberg’s name 35 times.
Michael Cohen mentioned Allen Weisselberg’s name 35 times when he testified before Congress.
Odds believe that Weisselberg will be called to testify before Congress.
This makes sense. Weisselberg is Trump’s finance man. You know he knows where the money trail leads.
Odds on Congress Getting President Donald Trump’s Tax Returns
| Will Congress Get President Donald Trump’s Tax Returns? | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | +300 |
| No | +500 |
David Pecker is a Trump friend and CEO of AMI. He runs the National Enquirer, which buried the Trump/Stormy Daniels story. Cohen testified that Pecker hid many more Trump scandals.
American Media Inc. and CEO David Pecker amassed what Michael Cohen called a "treasure trove" of documents and other materials about Trump.
As Cohen heads to Congress again today, a big question raised is: What else is in AMI's Trump treasure trove?https://t.co/jYnHeflXIt
— NPR (@NPR) March 6, 2019
It would seem logical that Pecker would be called before Congress. The prop disagrees.
While it may be true that Pecker hid other Trump peccadillos from public light, do they have anything to do with this investigation? Congress will want to stay on point, and not go swimming in a seedy swamp.
Unless Pecker can provide substantial evidence pertaining to the current investigation, his testimony seems moot. Bet no.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
