IRS Memo Draft Indicates Trump Tax Returns Have To Be Given To Congress

Donald Trump

While Treasury Secretary and Trump toadie, Steven Mnuchin, says he's refusing to turn over Donald Trump's tax returns because he wants to kiss Trump's butt Congress doesn't have a 'legitimate reason' for them, it turns out the IRS has already drafted a memo that finds the returns pretty much have to be given to Congress.

From The Washington Post:

A confidential Internal Revenue Service legal memo says tax returns must be given to Congress unless the president takes the rare step of asserting executive privilege, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Washington Post.

The memo contradicts the Trump administration’s justification for denying lawmakers’ request for President Trump’s tax returns, exposing fissures in the executive branch. Trump has refused to turn over his tax returns but has not invoked executive privilege. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has instead denied the returns by arguing there is no legislative purpose for demanding them.

But, according to the IRS memo, which has not been previously reported, the disclosure of tax returns to the committee “is mandatory, requiring the Secretary to disclose returns, and return information, requested by the tax-writing Chairs.”

Even when it comes to 'executive privilege,' the Post points out that "is generally defined as the president’s ability to deny requests for information about internal administration talks and deliberations."

Trump's taxes prior to taking office would not fall under that definition.

The thing about Treasury refusing to hand over Trump’s tax returns cuz they claim there’s no legitimate legislative interest is that…. There is a legitimate legislative interest. Tons. Conflict of interest laws, transparency laws, tax evasion laws, all are affected by this

— Sam Stein (@samstein) May 17, 2019

"All of which raises the question: Why exactly is Trump (and the rest of his administration) expending so much energy and political capital to keep these documents hidden? What could possibly be so disturbing or incriminating to justify such an effort?" https://t.co/EC0IoOcr1R

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) May 21, 2019