ATLANTA — Atlanta Congressman John Lewis took the first official steps Thursday to see President Trump's tax returns.
As Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, Lewis held a hearing on legislation that would force the President and Vice President to make their tax returns public.
"It is my belief that the American people have a right to know," Lewis said. "We should know if people running for office - people running for president and vice president - how they earn their money."
President Trump broke with decades of tradition during the campaign when he didn't release any of his tax returns.
The President's excuse was that his returns were being audited by the IRS, though, the IRS has said that individuals who are being audited are free to release their returns.
Republicans on the house committee argue tax returns are personal information.
"All Americans, every single American, has a right to privacy in personal information contained in their tax return," argued Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) the ranking member of the subcommittee.
Noah Bookbinder, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and one of the panelists, argued the president should be forced to release all of his businesses tax returns as well.
"It's worth recalling the recent blockbuster report that President Trump's family appears to have engaged in an elaborate, decades-long, tax avoidance scheme," Bookbinder said, referencing an October New York Times investigation.
The hearing comes just two days after the President called for an end to "ridiculous partisan investigations" in his State of the Union address.
Lewis concluded the hearing leaving little doubt that Democrats will stop fighting to get the tax returns released.
"This is not the end," Lewis said, "this is just the beginning."