At a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told lawmakers that White House lawyers consulted with his agency about the possible release of President Trump’s tax records, leading Democrats to raise concerns about political interference. Last week, House Democrats formally requested the IRS give Congress copies of President Trump’s tax returns over the past six years. This is New York Congressmember Carolyn Maloney.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney: “I think the fact that there was any communication with the White House about this is deeply troubling and certainly violates the spirit of the law, if not the letter of the law, and I think we need to get to the bottom of this.”
Mnuchin did not indicate how his department would respond to the request, saying he intended to “follow the law,” while defending Trump’s right to keep his tax returns private.
Mnuchin also clashed with committee chair Maxine Waters. After a tense back-and-forth over whether he could leave the hearing, Mnuchin told Waters she was supposed to “take the gavel and bang it” to end the session, to which Waters responded, “Please do not instruct me as to how I am to conduct this committee.”