Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the House Ways and Means Committee Thursday that he would “follow the law” if the panel’s chairman uses his legal authority to request President Trump’s tax returns.
“I haven’t received the request. If you have a request for me today I am happy to accept it. I can’t speculate on a request before I receive it,” Mnuchin said. Mnuchin was asked if he would follow the law that grants Congress’s tax-writing committees the power to request to review business and personal returns.
Democrats have promised to use that power to review Trump’s personal and business taxes for potential criminal violations or ethical entanglements.
The law grants the committee the ability to review those returns, but making them public is trickier. Releasing taxpayer information without the taxpayer’s permission is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
“We will protect the president as we would protect any taxpayer,” Mnuchin said, hinting at potential pushback in court to the expected congressional request.
Mnuchin declined to comment on the tax return investigation again when asked by reporters.
“Let me just say, obviously internal discussions that I have with our legal team on any issues, not just pertaining to this, are premature to comment on publicly. We haven’t even seen a request,” he said.
“We’ll evaluate it, consider it, and follow the law,” Mnuchin said of any request.
[Opinion: Trump tax returns: House Democrats ready for ultimate fishing expedition]
Questioned further during congressional testimony Thursday morning, Mnuchin said that the president has not told him how to handle such a request.
“He has not,” the Treasury secretary responded. “I have not discussed with anyone in the White House the issue of his tax returns or the request of his tax returns.”
Mnuchin then said he also has not discussed the issue with Trump’s attorneys.
Trump’s tax returns have been a hot button issue since he broke with decades of precedent in refusing to disclose them during the 2016 presidential election. Democrats repeatedly criticized his lack of disclosure during the 2017 tax reform push, since it was unclear how the president might personally benefit from the law.
Congressional Republicans have criticized Democrats’ efforts to obtain Trump’s returns, accusing them of “weaponizing” the IRS.
