Treasury Department refuses to comply with subpoena for Trump's tax returns
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday refused to comply with a subpoena from the House Ways and Means Committee seeking President Donald Trump's 2013-2018 tax returns, further escalating the fight for the president's documents that will likely lead to a battle in the courts.
Mnuchin in a letter to the committee's chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., reiterated that he consulted with Department of Justice "concerning the lawfulness of the Committee's unprecedented request."
"In reliance on the advice of the Department of Justice, we have determined that the Committee's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose," Mnuchin wrote in the letter. "The Department is therefore not authorized to disclose the requested returns and return information."
"For the same reasons, we are unable to provide the requested information in response to the Committee's subpoena," he continued.
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Neal in a statement Friday said that he will consult with counsel on what to do to move forward.
“Last Friday, I issued subpoenas to the Treasury Secretary and IRS Commissioner after they refused to comply with the law," he said. "Given the Treasury Secretary’s failure to comply today, I am consulting with counsel on how best to enforce the subpoenas moving forward.”
Neal issued subpoenas seeking six years of Trump's tax returns to both Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig last Friday after the Treasury secretary denied a second request for the president's documents.
In his original request, Neal was seeking Trump's 2013-2018 tax returns submitted to the IRS. In addition, he demanded copies of tax returns for Trump's trust and for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The Ways and Means chairman invoked a law allowing a select few members of Congress to review individual tax returns for legislative purposes and cited legislative proposals and oversight related to federal tax laws as his basis for the request.
It was the first such demand for a sitting president’s tax information in 45 years.
The Treasury Department has repeatedly rejected Neal's request.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Treasury Department refuses to comply with subpoena for Trump's tax returns
