Bloomberg News
The Hill writes that the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are set to miss a Friday deadline to comply with subpoenas for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, setting up a prolonged legal battle.
Democrats are examining options for their next steps, the Hill says. But both sides agree the matter is headed to the courts. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal issued subpoenas to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig last week for six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns, giving them a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday. But all indications are that Treasury and the IRS won’t provide the requested documents. A court case could be lengthy, the Hill writes, adding that legal experts say it could be effective in achieving Democrats’ goal of obtaining Trump’s returns.
Strained Bolton-Pompeo relationship: Rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran are also magnifying strains between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, Politico reports.
Pompeo and his special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, have indicated that the administration’s goal in squeezing Iran is renewed negotiations with Iranian regime, Politico reported, citing two sources familiar with their thinking. Trump has expressed a desire to do that. But Bolton is a deep skeptic of the value of negotiating with adversaries who, before joining the White House, called publicly for regime change in Tehran, Politico said. “Secretary Pompeo and Ambassador Bolton and fully aligned on Iran policy,” a State Department spokesman told Politico.
Iran briefing: Pompeo is set to brief all members of the House and Senate on escalating tensions with Iran on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports. Pompeo and other officials are expected to field questions about purported threats facing U.S. troops in the Middle East and the corresponding response from Washington, the Post writes.
Swagel for CBO: Phillip Swagel, an economist with extensive service in the George W. Bush administration, has been appointed the new director of the Congressional Budget Office, Roll Call reports. Senate Budget Chairman Michael Enzi and House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth announced the appointment, which begins June 3. Swagel currently serves as professor of international economic policy at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and is also a nonresident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. He’ll replace Keith Hall, the current CBO director whose four-year term officially ended Jan. 3.
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