Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin informed congressional Democrats today he will not comply with requests to hand over President Donald Trump’s personal tax returns.
“I am informing you now that the Department may not lawfully fulfill the Committee’s request,” Mnuchin wrote in a one-page letter to the House Ways and Means Committee. That committee’s chairman, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) made the request under a U.S. law that says the Treasury Department must furnish tax returns if they are requested by Congress.
“Today, Secretary Mnuchin notified me that the IRS will not provide the documents I requested under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code,” Neal told reporters. “I will consult with counsel and determine the appropriate response.”
Neal could issue a subpoena for the documents or House Democrats could move to hold Mnuchin in contempt of Congress.
The ranking Republican on the Ways and Mans Committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) applauded the Treasury Secretary’s decision.
“After consulting with the Justice Department the Treasury Department has come to the firm conclusion that we have known since day one: this request from House Democrats to weaponize the tax code for purely political reasons is illegitimate and should be treated as such,” Brady wrote in a statement.
President Trump has refused to release his personal tax returns since the 2016 presidential election breaking years of precedent. He claims his returns are under audit and his accounting team has advised him against releasing the returns while they are under review.
Photo by The White House