No Trump Tax Returns Would Block President from Illinois Ballot Under New Proposal

SPRINGFIELD, IL – If President Donald J. Trump does not release five years of income tax returns before seeking reelection, he would be blocked from appearing on the ballot in Illinois under a new state law introduced by Senator Daniel Biss (D-9) Tuesday.

“As voters are called upon to vote for the best possible candidate for president, they should have as much information as possible about their options,” Biss said, announcing the new legislation. “Donald Trump ran for president in large part by boasting about his business prowess, but he refused to make his tax returns public and deprived voters of the opportunity to check up on that record.”

The legislation, Senate Bill 982, would require both presidential and vice presidential candidates to file copies of their returns with the I.R.S. five or more days before they could be certified on the general election ballot in Illinois.

“In other words, without seeing President Trump’s tax returns, we can’t even figure out what conflicts of interest may be out there,” Biss said. “This situation is dangerous, and it is wrong. It’s our right as Americans to demand the highest ethical standards from those who seek the presidency and ask us to put our trust in them.”

Trump, the first president in 40 years to withhold his personal tax returns, stated during the 2016 presidential campaign he intended to release them after the completion of an audit. He has not addressed the audit since being inaugurated, although his adviser Kellyanne Conway did tweet the following:

Similar measures have been proposed in the state legislatures of California, Massachusetts, Maine and New York, where the "Tax Returns Universally Made Public (or TRUMP) Act, is currently in committee.