WH petitions urge Trump to release tax returns, divest from businesses

The first two petitions that appeared Friday on President Trump’s White House website urge him to release his tax returns and divest from his businesses.

One petition calls for Trump to disclose his full tax returns, with information that can verify that Trump is complying with the Constitution’s “emoluments clause,” which bars government officials from accepting gifts from foreign leaders.

“The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution,” the petition states.

Trump broke from a long-standing tradition of presidential nominees releasing their tax returns. He said he hasn’t released them yet because he is under audit from the IRS.

As of Friday afternoon, the petition had more than 3,000 signatures. 

{mosads}The second petition urges Trump to divest from his businesses or put his assets in a blind trust. It had about 140 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

The second petition state that Trump should take these actions “in keeping with tradition and to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest, corruption, and violations of the emoluments clause of the US Constitution.”

Trump and his lawyers last week announced a plan for him to turn over management of the Trump Organization to his adult sons. Some ethics experts have criticized the plan because he would not be selling off his assets.

Some watchdogs have also expressed concerns that Trump’s D.C. hotel could violate the emoluments clause, particularly if foreign leaders pay to stay there.

Trump’s lawyers argued that the Constitution doesn’t bar presidents from engaging in fair-market transactions with foreign leaders but said that Trump will donate profits from foreign officials’ use of his hotels to the U.S. Treasury.

The petitions would need 100,000 signatures by Feb. 19 in order to receive responses from the White House, at least under the rules set by President Obama’s White House.