A House committee sued the Trump administration in Federal Court on Tuesday for access to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax returns, setting up a legal showdown over the records.
The House Ways and Means Committee said it needs the documents for a probe into tax law compliance by the President, among other things. It asked the court to order the administration to turn over the documents.
The committee originally demanded six years of Mr. Trump’s tax records in April under a law that says the Internal Revenue Service “shall furnish” the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers.
But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the committee in May that he wouldn’t be turning over the returns to the Democratic-controlled House.
He concluded that the Treasury Department is “not authorised to disclose the requested returns and return information.” The Justice Department in a legal opinion backed Mr. Mnuchin, saying the request lacked a legitimate legislative purpose and was an “unprecedented” use of congressional authority.