By Zoe Richards -
NBC News
A federal appeals court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a House committee can access former President Donald Trump's tax records after a year-long legal battle.
The three-judge panel of the US Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, DC, agreed that the House Ways and Means Committee has the authority to obtain Trump's tax records from the Treasury Department, confirming a district court ruling from late last year.
Trump's lawyers are almost certain to appeal the ruling.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at an America First Policy Institute agenda summit at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, Tuesday, July 26, 2022.Andrew Harnik/AP
NBC News has asked a Trump spokesman and a member of his legal team for comment.
The court ruling adds to Trump's legal troubles after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
A source familiar with the matter said the record was linked to classified information Trump allegedly took from the White House to his resort in January 2021.
[Details of criminal investigation involving Trump are not yet known and Republicans are backing it]
This is the latest twist in a multi-year legal fight over his tax records.
A federal judge in December dismissed Trump's lawsuit seeking to block the House panel from obtaining his tax returns, rejecting his argument that Congress had no legitimate need to see the returns and that Congress he was simply snooping around to embarrass him.
The raid on Trump's residence caught Democrats and Republicans by surprise
Aug. 9, 202201:43
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, a Democrat,
praised the appeals court's "long-awaited" opinion on Tuesday.
Neal first requested copies of Trump's federal tax returns in April 2019, a request the Treasury Department initially denied.
"With great patience, we followed the court process, and once again, our position has been affirmed by the courts," Neal said in a statement.
"When we receive the returns, we will begin our oversight of the IRS mandatory presidential audit program."
Neal had initially cited a federal law that requires the Treasury Department and the IRS to release individual tax returns when required by any of three congressional tax committees.
[A lawyer explains why the FBI raided Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago residence]
"The president has identified a legitimate legislative purpose for which he requires information," the appeals court ruling reads.
“Right now, it's not up to us to dig deeper than this.
The mere fact that individual members of Congress may have political as well as legislative motivations is irrelevant.
In fact, it is probably rare for an individual member of Congress to work for a legislative purpose without considering the political implications."
Supporters and critics of Donald Trump react to the search carried out by the FBI in Mar-A-Lago
Aug. 9, 202202:25
If he appeals, Trump would have to ask the full circuit court to rehear the case or appeal directly to the Supreme Court.
The top Republican on the House committee, Kevin Brady of Texas, urged Trump to appeal.
The ruling "
unleashes a new and dangerous political weapon,"
Brady said in a statement, arguing that it would give Congress the ability to "target and make public the tax returns of political enemies."
[The FBI operation may precipitate the announcement of Trump's candidacy for the 2024 elections]
For her part, the president of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, described the court's decision on Twitter on Tuesday as a "victory of the rule of law."
"Access to the former president's tax returns is crucial to upholding the public interest, our national security and our democracy," Pelosi added.