Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) whined that he can't understand why the audit into President Donald Trump seems to be taking so long.
“The thought that comes to my mind is, how come it’s taking the IRS so long to get the audits done? I am concerned that the IRS is not getting their work done," the senator said.
Grassley is the chair of two different committees that could request the president's tax documents from the IRS to investigate exactly what he seems so concerned about. He is both Chair of the Joint Committee on Taxation and also Senate Finance Committee.
Lawfare editor Susan Hennessey noted, "Even the specious reasons Treasury Department has given for refusing to comply with Neal's request in House wouldn't apply."
All Grassley would have to do is send a letter, she explained, and he could find the answers he seeks.
As for Grassley not understanding why the IRS is taking so long, ProPublica reported in 2018 that there has been an eight-year campaign to try and bring down the IRS by Republicans who also claim they want to fix the national debt.
The IRS has been relegated to focusing on small-time tax dodges rather than the million-dollar corporations and the uber-rich who avoid paying their fair share. Trump has been under audit after claiming that he should get a nearly $80 million tax refund due to his overwhelming "losses." While Trump got the cash, the IRS stepped back to investigate the specifics and if they find he lied, he could be on the hook for as much as $100 million.