Old-school legislator 'Richie' Neal in the spotlight for Trump tax returns investigation
Richard Neal has operated out of the spotlight for most of his career, but now finds himself closely scrutinized for his management of the Democratic effort to get President Trump's tax returns. In the 30 years that Neal has represented western Massachusetts, he's only authored five bills or resolutions that have become law or been adopted, two of which have to do with honoring basketball (Neal’s district hosts the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield). Instead, he's advanced his priorities more behind the scenes, lawmakers say, and by working with members of both parties. Neal's newfound power as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, however, grants him an opportunity to put his name on far more achievements. But in order to do so, he’ll first need to deliver on the promise to investigate Trump's taxes, a risky endeavor.
Four months into the Democrats' control of the House, they have yet to request Trump's tax returns, as the Ways and Means chairman is empowered by law to do. Some outside liberal activists have begun to grow restless and criticize Neal, noting that Democrats have promised for years to get the tax returns that Trump has refused to make public. For example, Jeff Hauser and Eleanor Eagan of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-leaning think tank, accused Neal of slow-walking the investigation in a March op-ed in the American Prospect. “It is not only Trump, but every rich tax evader in America who is breathing easier with Richard Neal as Chairman,” the two wrote.
Neal, though, has said he’s moving cautiously due to the sensitive legal nature of such a request. “I don’t think that we can air this [process] in public,” Neal told reporters earlier this month. “I think part of the preparation I have done is prudent based on the advice of [legal] counsel.” Asked for a timeline, Neal said simply, “when the case is ready.” Both Republican and Democratic former congressional staff characterize Neal's effort as especially tricky, and the situation largely unprecedented.
Neal's record is that of a careful legislator, not a partisan hothead likely to rush a sensitive investigation. He has a reputation as an old-school operator, a throwback to the days when Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., helped write bipartisan tax reform legislation with the Reagan administration and congressional Republicans. “He’s a guy who looks to bipartisanship, he’s not a partisan, rabid dog,” said Ken Kies, a former Republican staffer on the committee who now works as a tax lobbyist. Neal, 70, is "Richie" to his colleagues, who agreed with Kies’ characterization. “He’s the best, he’s the best. He has become one of, I think, the most respected members in Congress,” said Rep. Steven Lynch, D-Mass., who has served in the same state delegation since 2001. “He moves very well between our moderate members and also more progressive members,” said Lynch. “I think he’s earned that respect from all groups.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a newcomer to the delegation who has aligned herself with some of the progressive upstarts among this freshman class of congressional Democrats, also spoke highly of Neal's ability to cooperate with all factions in the caucus. “He’s been like what you would hope any dean of a delegation to be. Offers counsel, has a lot of institutional memory, has welcomed me with open arms, supported me in advocating for the committee assignments that I was hopeful I would receive,” said Pressley. Neal's Democratic colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee declined to criticize his handling of the tax returns investigation when asked. “The chairman is handling it very, very well,” said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the head of the oversight and investigatory panel on Neal’s committee.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/old-school-legislator-richie-neal-in-the-spotlight-for-trump-tax-returns-investigation
Also see: Democrats face a dilemma over Trump's tax returns
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/democrats-face-a-dilemma-over-trumps-tax-returns
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