[Edited to add]: Sorry I misquoted my reply, I was meaning to reply to
@bestill
Actually Trump's tax records are already being used in several court cases, including the NY civil fraud lawsuit in NY (headed by Letitia James) where it is claimed that Trump fraudulently overvalued his real estate properties to secure financing and bank loans and then drastically undervalued them to get massive tax breaks.
Most likely his tax records were also invaluable in the conviction of Trump CEO Weisselberg who eventually pled guilty:
CNN:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/10/...berg-sentencing-trump-organization/index.html
and Trump Organization itself
CNN:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/06/politics/trump-organization-fraud-trial-verdict/index.html#:~:text=A Manhattan jury has found,and Trump Payroll Corp.
Some of those records were obtained through other sources (such as via Mazar's accounting firm) because Trump has fought long and hard in the courts to deny the release of those.
Congress was petitioning to get those records to see if there were any violations to the Domestic Emoluments Clause. The Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of the returns being turned over at the end of Dec 2022 . But sadly, the Ways and Means Committee changed leadership from Dem to Rep after Jan 20th. And unsurprisingly, those investigations have since been quashed.
NT Times:
House Republicans Quietly Halt Inquiry Into Trump’s Finances
Context matters.
Nevertheless, one could argue that Trump, personally, might have had nothing to do with the above criminal actions which were exposed via court. The problem is, he's the head CEO of said corporation and what does it say about him that so many around him are being found guilty of breaking the law while working for him, on behalf of his company, and/or for his campaign? Are we forgetting Flynn, Manafort, Bannon...?
Reuters:
Factbox: Many in Trump's orbit have faced criminal charges
One has to wonder what kind of leadership Trump displays if all of this criminal activity is happening right under his nose without his knowledge or participation. Are we supposed to believe he's this clueless, and undiscerning of his closest associates?
JMO but I see DJT as acting more like a mafia don. His family business is, MOO, basically like a mafia family. He's the head, he makes the decisions and his word is law. Extreme loyalty is demanded from all under his power. But like Capone, he's clever enough to get those he controls to do the dirty work. Deniability. This is why Capone went down for tax evasion charges and not the many more obvious heinous crimes he was likely responsible for.
Lastly, I found this article very interesting and I think it supports my reasoning that the organized crime analogy has its merits:
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/20/politics/georgia-racketeering-conspiracy-trump-willis/index.html