Congressman Erik Paulsen has become very good at hiding from his constituents

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minnesota) voted with other Republicans last week to block Congress from having a look at Donald Trump’s tax returns.

So far Trump has kept his financial profile strictly secret, though every presidential nominee since the 1970s has presented the information to the public. The rationale behind this tradition is that the president’s business dealings and debts could illuminate how his public policies benefit his private interests.

Paulsen sits on the Ways and Means committee, which has the right to invoke a rule that would force Trump to reveal his long-awaited tax returns. When the issue came to a vote, Paulsen joined 22 other Republicans in a party-line vote to take a pass.

City Pages asked Paulsen for his reasoning. But despite multiple calls, spokesman Andrew Johnson says the congressman has been “unavailable” the past three days.

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