Mnuchin denies Democrats' request for Trump's tax returns

(Image credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin notified House Democrats on Monday that he will not turn over President Trump's tax returns, claiming that the request from the Ways and Means Committee "lacks a legitimate legislative purpose."

Under a 1924 law, Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) is one of just a few lawmakers with the authority to request the president's tax returns, and he asked the IRS for six years of Trump's business and personal returns. In his letter to Neal, Mnuchin said he spoke with officials in the Justice Department and concluded the IRS is "not authorized to disclose the requested returns and return information." He did not explain their reasoning. The law in question does not require Neal to have a legislative purpose.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.