Christie rejects bill aimed at Trump’s taxes as a ‘stunt’

Democratic Assemblyman John McKeon, who sponsored the bill, denied the legislation was about Trump and instead said it focused on future elections. In March, however, he had acknowledged that Trump inspired the measure.

“(All) Gov. Christie can think about is his ally Donald Trump. Sad!” McKeon said Monday in a statement.

Christie also proposed amending the bill to eliminate the disclosure exemption for legislative records in the Open Records Act. He is sending back the bill to the Legislature for reconsideration.

“Although I have strong doubts that the Legislature has any real interest in promoting greater transparency, I am recommending changes to the bill that would fit the old saying ‘Doctor heal thyself,’” Christie wrote.

Records from the governor’s office may be disclosed under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act, but they are sometimes redacted or requests for documents are withheld for a number of exemptions.

Tom Hester, a spokesman for Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, said there are no plans to consider Christie’s proposal. A message left with the state Senate president’s office wasn’t immediately returned. Christie’s idea would need approval from both chambers to be enacted.

More than a dozen other states are considering similar legislation that goes back to Trump’s failure to release his income taxes, a practice that goes back decades for presidential candidates. Trump has so far refused and said he would release them when the Internal Revenue Service completes an audit.

Last week Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that Trump doesn’t plan to release the documents and that Americans already have “plenty of information” about his finances.

Michael Catalini, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Christie rejects bill aimed at Trump’s taxes as a ‘stunt’

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