Sen. Ernst calls for Trump to release his tax returns

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Facing a jeering crowd of demonstrators and left-leaning voters, Sen. Joni Ernst said that President Donald Trump should release his tax returns.

As she absorbed boos and heckles for her answers on health care, climate change and Planned Parenthood, the Iowa Republican gave the mostly Democratic crowd something to cheer for: Becoming one of the latest high-profile lawmakers to call on Trump to release more of his financial information.


“I think he should,” Ernst said.

Trump has repeatedly said he is under audit, which prevents him from doing so. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC reported on Trump’s 2005 tax returns earlier this week, which has stoked a new round of demands for the release of Trump’s taxes.

Her short and direct answer got a standing ovation — but she disappointed the crowd soon after, when someone told her to use her perch in the Senate to force the release of Trump’s tax returns and probe whether his actions are profiting Trump himself at the public's expense.

“The president is working for the American people, I believe he is,” Ernst said to a new round of boos. “But when it’s warranted I’m going to stand up and say something.”

Asked afterward if she would support legislation that would bar Trump from running for reelection if he doesn't release his tax returns, she said: "I wouldn't prohibit somebody for running for election if he doesn't release tax returns."

Steve Patterson of Marion, Iowa, said that Ernst displayed “a lot of courage” taking on a crowd deeply frustrated with many of her answers, and he seemed satisfied to get a direct answer on Trump’s tax returns, especially after she was noncommittal on health care.

Ernst also said she disagreed with the Trump administration’s closeness to Russia and the president's opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, briefly winning another round of applause.