Steven Mnuchin is evidently violating a clear-cut law to shield Trump's tax returns. Will the courts side with him?

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and President Trump

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 May 2019

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin informed House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) that he will not willingly hand over President Trump's tax returns, as requested under a 1924 law that clearly states he "shall" turn them over. House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) got out his highlighter:

To put it bluntly, Mnuchin appears to be breaking the law. He doesn't frame it that way, of course. In a one-page letter to Neal, he said that after consulting with Trump's Justice Department, "I have determined that the committee's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose" and "the Supreme Court has held that the Constitution requires that congressional information demands must reasonably serve a legitimate legislative purpose."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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