Herb Jackson | NorthJersey

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Rep. Bill Pascrell's continuing quest to get a look at President Donald Trump's tax returns hit another setback on Thursday with another party-line rejection in the House Ways and Means Committee.

For the second time this year, the Democrat from Paterson sponsored a "resolution of inquiry" seeking 10 years' worth of returns from Trump and his business entities, the names of which cover 25 pages in his legislation.

"Republicans on the committee continue to be complicit in keeping the president's tax returns hidden," Pascrell said.

But Republicans accused Democrats of being on a "fishing expedition," and Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the committee chairman, said Pascrell was trying to abuse a provision of the law that authorizes the committee to compel the Internal Revenue Service to share tax returns.

"On a select few occasions, Ways and Means has sought tax return information as part of our responsibility to oversee the administration of our nation’s tax code," Brady said. "But never has our Committee used its authority to single out and rummage through the confidential taxpayer information of one person without their consent – not to mention over 500 business entities."

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First try: House chairman shoots down Pascrell effort to see Trump taxes

Second try: Partisan sparks fly at hearing over Trump tax returns

Pascrell argued the returns, which presidents since Gerald Ford have made public, would show how proposed changes to the tax code would benefit Trump personally.

"Tax reform should not be another opportunity for this president to get some goodies for his friends and his family at the expense of the taxpayers," Pascrell said.

Under House rules, Pascrell's resolution had to be considered by the Ways and Means Committee this week or he would be able to force a full vote on it on the House floor.

Democrats in July announced they were filing a series of motions to try to force House Republicans to vote to support Trump on an array of controversies, including the investigation of his campaign's dealings with Russia and profits his companies make from the government.

Since the @HouseGOP #TaxReform plan is still secret, Ways & Means is meeting on Thursday at 2 pm to discuss one thing: #CongressMustRequest. — Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) September 5, 2017

Pascrell has been trying — unsuccessfully — since February to invoke a rarely used law that gives the House Ways and Means Committee the power to compel the Internal Revenue Service to turn over tax returns.

The law, enacted after the Teapot Dome scandal in 1924, was used to examine President Richard Nixon's tax returns in 1974. And three years ago, the Republican-dominated Ways and Means Committee used it to investigate the IRS' handling of applications for tax-exempt status, a probe that resulted in private tax data for 51 groups becoming public.

Trump broke with tradition by not releasing his returns during the presidential campaign. After he was elected, adviser Kellyanne Conway said he would still not release them, saying the election showed the public didn't care if he released them.

A petition on the White House website seeking to have the returns made public has drawn 1.1 million signatures.