Author: Josh Dawsey / Source: Washington Post
An attorney for President Trump on Friday told the Treasury Department it should not turn over the president’s tax returns until it receives a legal opinion from the Justice Department, calling on Treasury to deny Democrats’ demands for six years of the president’s records.
William S. Consovoy, the attorney, attacked the request from Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, as a “gross abuse of power,” arguing that it risks encroaching on taxpayers’ privacy.
Consovoy’s letter is one of the early moves in what is expected to be an extensive legal fight over who has the authority to release Trump’s tax returns.
On Wednesday, Neal formally requested that the Internal Revenue Service, which is part of the Treasury Department, turn over six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns.
A 1924 law cited by Neal states that the treasury secretary “shall furnish . . . any return or return information specified” in a request from the head of the House or Senate tax-writing committees.
Trump has for months signaled he would resist attempts to compel him to turn over his taxes. And Friday’s letter from Consovoy states that the IRS should wait for a “formal legal opinion” from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel before divulging the returns.
The letter from his attorney, addressed to Treasury general counsel Brent J. McIntosh, echoes arguments made for months by congressional Republicans.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that he would consult with department attorneys before making a decision about a request to…
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