White House: Trump’s foes will never see his tax returns

DEMOCRATS will never see Donald Trump’s tax returns, the White House said yesterday, as a new front opened in the confrontation between Congress and the administration.

Mick Mulvaney, the president’s chief of staff, accused Democrats of engaging in a “political stunt” after Richard Neal, the congressman who chairs the ways and means committee, asked the IRS to provide six years of Mr Trump’s personal tax returns as well as those for some of his businesses.

“That is not going to happen and they know it,” Mr Mulvaney told Fox News Sunday.

Mr Neal, one of only three congressional officials authorised to request tax returns, has written to Charles Rettig, the IRS commissioner, asking for the tax returns, covering the years 2013-18, to be released by Wednesday.

An obscure statute from 1924 includes no exceptions to Mr Neal’s authority to ask for returns and states that the treasury department “shall furnish” them when requested. It does require that the review of an individual’s return be conducted by members of Congress in “closed executive session”.

However, Mr Mulvaney said the law did not intend to allow a review for a “political hit job”. His comments echoed those made by Mr Trump’s lawyers who argued the request “would set a dangerous precedent” if granted.

Mr Trump broke with precedent when he chose not to release any tax returns as a presidential candidate.

The president has said he would not release the information because he is under audit, something he reiterated on Friday while visiting the Mexico border. “I’m under audit. When you’re under audit you don’t do it,” he said.

IRS officials have said taxpayers under audit were free to release returns.