“In terms of dealing with the courts now, he [Neal] has been strong and persistent and has done exactly what the lawyers say we need to do to overcome, ‘she said. “He could do nothing more.”
“We are at the mercy of the courts.”
Her remarks come ahead of a primary Neal faces Tuesday against Alex Morse, a challenger endorsed by Liberal firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.). Morse is the mayor of Holyoke, a town in the Neal district.
Neal has received harassing complaints from progressives that he has not been aggressive enough in his legal battle for Trump’s tax return. He pursued the implementation of a subpoena requiring filing under a law that would allow the heads of congressional tax committees to examine everyone’s private tax information.
Liberals say Neal was too slow to bring the case, which has been pending in court for more than a year. Advocates for House Democrats and Trump have not even come to terms with Neal’s complaint, with the two sides fighting over whether lawmakers have the right to take the White House in the first place.
Pelosi’s remarks Thursday are a reminder that Democrats may not need the courts to get Trump’s proceeds – although they contradict what attorneys for the House have argued in court. They have argued that Democrats need Trump’s notices to determine whether the IRS is doing an adequate job of controlling the president, not because they intend to release his proceeds publicly.
Pelosi gave an extensive defense of Neal, speaking for seven minutes about not only his fight for Trump’s tax records, but also his support for women, children, workers, Social Security and the environment, among other issues.
“He’s been so progressive,” Pelosi said.
“People will say what they will say, but I know what he did and it would be a great loss for that district to lose the chairman of the Wise and Means Commission.”
