Donald Trump's Awful Year Is About to Get Even Worse

Donald Trump's already-turbulent year looks set to end in further headache for the former president amid reports that his tax returns will be published Friday.

The House ways and means committee, which managed to obtain Trump's financial records following a yearslong battle, is said to be preparing to publicize them on December 30.

Unnamed sources told media outlets such as the Associated Press and CNN that there will be a pro forma House session on Friday, during which the records will be released.

It had been suggested that Trump's tax returns could be released on December 27, but redacted versions of the records look set to be released just four days before the GOP takes control of the House on January 3.

The release will bookend what has already been a hectic 2022 for Trump.

As well as being the first president to be referred for criminal prosecution, over his actions relating to January 6, Trump also had his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home searched by the FBI as part of a federal investigation into allegations he mishandled classified materials removed from the White House, then attempted to obstruct attempts to retrieve them.

There have also been significant updates in a number of other criminal and civil cases involving the former president.

These include a grand jury being summoned in Georgia to hear evidence about his alleged criminal attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and New York Attorney General Letitia James suing Trump for $250 million over claims he falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to achieve better loans and other financial benefits.

Trump's reputation within the GOP also took a major hit in 2022 as he was widely blamed for the party failing to take back control of the Senate and only just achieving a House majority. A number of his endorsed candidates, many of whom backed his false assertion the 2020 presidential election was rigged, lost their midterm races.

It remains to be seen how much further damage the publication of Trump's tax returns will have on the former president, who sought for years to keep his financial details hidden.

Ways and means committee member Rep. Don Beyer [D-VA] has already tweeted a major revelation from the documents that the Internal Revenue Service failed to audit Trump during his first two years as president, and only began doing so after committee chairman Rep. Richard Neal [D-Mass] had asked the agency for information related to Trump's tax returns.

Some of Trump's tax returns during his time as president have also previously been leaked to the media.

In September 2020, The New York Times revealed that Trump had paid just $750 federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and paid no income tax during several other years.

Newsweek has contacted Trump for comment.