Mnuchin refuses to release Trump’s tax returns

WASHINGTON—Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rejected House Democrats’ demands for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, possibly setting up a protracted legal battle. In a letter Monday to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., Mnuchin said the Democrats’ request “presents serious constitutional questions.” After consulting with the Department of Justice, the Trump administration concluded that the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose,” he said.

Trump has often cited ongoing audits of his returns as his reason for breaking a tradition of releasing them that started with President Richard Nixon. No law requires presidents to release their tax returns. In his original request, Neal pointed to a 1924 law allowing the heads of congressional tax committees to request any American’s returns. The administration has argued that this request exceeds lawmakers’ constitutional powers.

“As you have recognized, the committee’s request is unprecedented, and it presents serious constitutional questions, the resolution of which may have lasting consequences for all taxpayers,” Mnuchin wrote.