Why don't these Republicans have any interest in Donald Trump's potential conflicts of interest?

Regardless of party affiliation, an astonishing 74 percent of Americans want to see Donald Trump's tax returns. It makes sense considering Donald Trump has business all over the world and we really don’t know who his business comrades are, how much he owes, how much they pay him. These are relevant in the interest of government transparency, but more importantly in the interest of national security. Last week, Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), said he intended to use a 1924 tax law that allowed members of the House Ways and Means Committee to privately examine tax returns to determine if there are conflicts of interest or Constitutional violations:

After privately examining returns -- Pascrell is seeking 10 years' worth -- the committee could decide to share them with the full House, which would in effect make them public. The 1924 law gives congressional committees that set tax policy the power to examine tax returns. It was used in 1974 when Congress looked at President Richard Nixon's returns, and in 2014 when the Ways and Means Committee released confidential tax information as part of its investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's handling of applications for nonprofit status.

Yesterday Pascrell introduced the amendment to see Trump’s returns and voted straight down party line to reject it. Why? Don’t they want to determine whether Donald Trump owes or has been paid millions or even billions to …. oh, I don’t know …. Russia? China? Saudi Arabia?

Below are the list of Republicans (and their contact information) who decided it was more important to hide Donald Trump’s tax returns rather than expose the truth and shed light on possible conflicts of interest. If you live in one of these districts, please consider contacting your representative and telling them how you feel about this decision, find out why they voted the way they did and encourage them to revisit the issue. Their phone numbers are listed below, but next week Congress is in recess and traditionally representatives use the week to return home to their districts and meet directly with constituents. Sounds like a perfect chance for you to meet with them and share your views! Check the Town Hall Project spreadsheet to see if your rep is having a meeting near you. If not, call and ask for one or schedule a one-on-one meeting to voice your opinion directly to your representative.