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The White House missed a deadline to turn over President Donald Trump’s tax returns to a House committee, in what could lead to a court fight for the papers.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal had set a deadline of Tuesday, 5 p.m. for the president’s returns. The committee is seeking six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns. Trump steadfastly refused to make public his tax returns during the campaign, breaking from recent precedent, and has continued to hold on to them as president.
The Treasury Department released a letter to the committee asking for a delay until May 6 as it consults with the Justice Department.
“Due to the serious constitutional questions raised by this request and the serious consequences that a resolution of those questions could have for taxpayer privacy, the Department is consulting with the Department of Justice,” said a letter from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to Neal.
The Treasury Department letter again made the argument that, historically, Congressional tax committees seek statistical data for drafting legislation. This request, Mnuchin argues, is to release Trump’s tax returns, “exposure for the sake of exposure.”
Neal has previously argued that there’s no basis to question the legitimacy of its legislative purpose or “second guess the motivations of the Committee or its reasonable determinations,” as he stated in a letter earlier this month.
In a brief statement issued Tuesday, Neal didn’t indicate his next step.
“This afternoon, Secretary Mnuchin notified me that once again, the IRS will miss the deadline for my 6103 request. I plan to consult with counsel about my next steps,” Neal said.
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