Treasury Department refuses to comply with subpoena for Trump's tax returns

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday refused to comply with a subpoena from the House Ways and Means Committee seeking President Donald Trump's 2013-2018 tax returns, further escalating the fight for the president's documents that will likely lead to a battle in the courts.Mnuchin in a letter to the committee's chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., reiterated that he consulted with Department of Justice "concerning the lawfulness of the Committee's unprecedented request." "In reliance on the advice of the Department of Justice, we have determined that the Committee's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose," Mnuchin wrote in the letter. "The Department is therefore not authorized to disclose the requested returns and return information.""For the same reasons, we are unable to provide the requested information in response to the Committee's subpoena," he continued.Neal in a statement Friday said that he will consult with counsel on what to do to move forward.“Last Friday, I issued subpoenas to the Treasury Secretary and IRS Commissioner after they refused to comply with the law," he said. "Given the Treasury Secretary’s failure to comply today, I am consulting with counsel on how best to enforce the subpoenas moving forward.”Neal issued subpoenas seeking six years of Trump's tax returns to both Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig last Friday after the Treasury secretary denied a second request for the president's documents.In his original request, Neal was seeking Trump's 2013-2018 tax returns submitted to the IRS. In addition, he demanded copies of tax returns for Trump's trust and for his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInThe day in pictures Fullscreen Posted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. A western yellow wagtail rests in a field of rapeseed in full bloom, May 17, 2019 in Heiligkreuztal, Germany. THOMAS WARNACK, AFP/Getty ImagesFullscreenA mackerel sky is colored by the first rays of sunlight as a photographer focuses in Willard Beach, May 17, 2019, in South Portland, Maine. New England, like much of the country, continues to experience wetter-than-usual weather. Robert F. Bukaty, APFullscreenLGBT refugees are silhouetted through a rainbow flag as they they protest in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nairobi, Kenya, May 17, 2019. LGBT refugees from neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi protested against he lack of protection by the UN refugee agency saying they failed to provide them with basic protection, shelter, food and documents after they were brought to Nairobi from Kakuma refugee camp in northen Kenya where they faced hostilities due to their sexual orientations. DAI KUROKAWA, EPA-EFEFullscreenA rainbow is seen above La Picota jail where Colombian Farc political party member Jesus Santrich awaits to be released in Bogota, May 16, 2019. A special peace c

returns