BREAKING RANK

GOP Congressman: ‘Absolutely, Trump Should Release His Tax Returns’

Matt Gaetz shocked protesters at local town hall.

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has been a supporter of President Trump, surprised protesters during a Thursday night town hall when he called for the president to release his tax returns. One of his constituents, Donna Waters, 56, became visibly emotional while confronting the first-term congressman: “I’m the descendant of an immigrant, he came to America in 1607 to a town called Jamestown, and my family's been here ever since.” She continued, ‘Whenever there’s a threat to this country, my family has stepped forward... There are allegations that a hostile foreign country is committing acts of undeclared war by infiltrating the highest levels of our government.” She then asked of the congressman who campaigned with Trump in Florida: “Will you call for the release of President Trump’s income tax returns?” As Gaetz hesitated, the crowd began screaming, “Yes or no! Yes or no!” The lawmaker shocked many in the room when he replied, “Absolutely, Donald Trump should release his tax returns.” He did not, however, call upon Congress to subpoena the documents. Trump broke longstanding protocol during the election, becoming the first major-party nominee since 1972 not to release his tax returns.