"Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the IRS should have immediately complied with Chairman Neal's request and furnished President Trump's tax returns," Tax March and Stand Up America said in a statement. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Apr 24, 2019
After Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Tuesday missed yet another deadline to turn over President Donald Trump's tax returns and signaled he has no intention of willingly giving Congress the documents, progressive advocacy groups urged Democrats to try to force the White House's hand with a subpoena or a possible contempt charge.
"Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
--Tax March, Stand Up America
Tax March and Stand Up America applauded House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) for working to obtain the president's tax returns, but said he must go further in the face of the Trump administration's "illegal" refusal to comply.
"He cannot let the Trump administration hide critical information that will allow both Congress and the American people to hold President Trump accountable," the groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. "He has no choice but to subpoena the tax returns from the Treasury Department and force the IRS to comply with his request."
"If this stonewalling continues," the statement continued, "House Democrats should look into holding Secretary Mnuchin in contempt of Congress."
\u201c#BREAKING: The Trump administration just missed another deadline to hand over Trump's tax returns.\n\nThat's illegal. @RepRichardNeal CANNOT let them hide key information that will allow Congress to hold Trump accountable.\n\nIt's time to subpoena Trump's tax returns.\u201d— Stand Up America (@Stand Up America) 1556055971
The organizations' call came after Mnuchin sent a letter (pdf) to Neal Tuesday announcing that the Treasury Department--which oversees the IRS--would miss House Democrats' April 23 deadline. Mnuchin also missed Democrats' original deadline of April 10.
While Trump Wednesday morning told reporters he would fight all subpoena efforts from the Democratic House, Mnuchin said he expects to inform Congress whether his department will hand over Trump's tax returns by May 6.
\u201c\u201cWe\u2019re fighting all the subpoenas ... The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense,\u201d President Trump says of congressional investigations following the redacted Mueller report\u2019s release. https://t.co/DkX15NSQHE\u201d— NBC Politics (@NBC Politics) 1556121006
Though Mnuchin claimed Democrats' request for Trump's tax returns raises "serious constitutional questions," Tax March and Stand Up America said the "law is clear" that the Treasury Department is legally obligated to hand over the documents.
"Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the IRS should have immediately complied with Chairman Neal's request and furnished President Trump's tax returns," the groups said. "Instead, Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
George K. Yin, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, told Roll Call that Mnuchin could be held in contempt of Congress--and even imprisoned--if he continues to defy Democrats' request.
"The statute is very clear and seems like very strong support for what Mr. Neal is trying to do," said Yin. "I think [Mnuchin] obviously needs to think very seriously about that; now he might not care if he gets fired, but I think he would care if he gets sent to jail."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said the House must take "prompt action" in response to Mnuchin's obstruction.
"They don't get to pick and choose the laws with which they will comply," Doggett told the New York Times.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Tuesday missed yet another deadline to turn over President Donald Trump's tax returns and signaled he has no intention of willingly giving Congress the documents, progressive advocacy groups urged Democrats to try to force the White House's hand with a subpoena or a possible contempt charge.
"Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
--Tax March, Stand Up America
Tax March and Stand Up America applauded House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) for working to obtain the president's tax returns, but said he must go further in the face of the Trump administration's "illegal" refusal to comply.
"He cannot let the Trump administration hide critical information that will allow both Congress and the American people to hold President Trump accountable," the groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. "He has no choice but to subpoena the tax returns from the Treasury Department and force the IRS to comply with his request."
"If this stonewalling continues," the statement continued, "House Democrats should look into holding Secretary Mnuchin in contempt of Congress."
\u201c#BREAKING: The Trump administration just missed another deadline to hand over Trump's tax returns.\n\nThat's illegal. @RepRichardNeal CANNOT let them hide key information that will allow Congress to hold Trump accountable.\n\nIt's time to subpoena Trump's tax returns.\u201d— Stand Up America (@Stand Up America) 1556055971
The organizations' call came after Mnuchin sent a letter (pdf) to Neal Tuesday announcing that the Treasury Department--which oversees the IRS--would miss House Democrats' April 23 deadline. Mnuchin also missed Democrats' original deadline of April 10.
While Trump Wednesday morning told reporters he would fight all subpoena efforts from the Democratic House, Mnuchin said he expects to inform Congress whether his department will hand over Trump's tax returns by May 6.
\u201c\u201cWe\u2019re fighting all the subpoenas ... The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense,\u201d President Trump says of congressional investigations following the redacted Mueller report\u2019s release. https://t.co/DkX15NSQHE\u201d— NBC Politics (@NBC Politics) 1556121006
Though Mnuchin claimed Democrats' request for Trump's tax returns raises "serious constitutional questions," Tax March and Stand Up America said the "law is clear" that the Treasury Department is legally obligated to hand over the documents.
"Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the IRS should have immediately complied with Chairman Neal's request and furnished President Trump's tax returns," the groups said. "Instead, Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
George K. Yin, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, told Roll Call that Mnuchin could be held in contempt of Congress--and even imprisoned--if he continues to defy Democrats' request.
"The statute is very clear and seems like very strong support for what Mr. Neal is trying to do," said Yin. "I think [Mnuchin] obviously needs to think very seriously about that; now he might not care if he gets fired, but I think he would care if he gets sent to jail."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said the House must take "prompt action" in response to Mnuchin's obstruction.
"They don't get to pick and choose the laws with which they will comply," Doggett told the New York Times.
After Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Tuesday missed yet another deadline to turn over President Donald Trump's tax returns and signaled he has no intention of willingly giving Congress the documents, progressive advocacy groups urged Democrats to try to force the White House's hand with a subpoena or a possible contempt charge.
"Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
--Tax March, Stand Up America
Tax March and Stand Up America applauded House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) for working to obtain the president's tax returns, but said he must go further in the face of the Trump administration's "illegal" refusal to comply.
"He cannot let the Trump administration hide critical information that will allow both Congress and the American people to hold President Trump accountable," the groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. "He has no choice but to subpoena the tax returns from the Treasury Department and force the IRS to comply with his request."
"If this stonewalling continues," the statement continued, "House Democrats should look into holding Secretary Mnuchin in contempt of Congress."
\u201c#BREAKING: The Trump administration just missed another deadline to hand over Trump's tax returns.\n\nThat's illegal. @RepRichardNeal CANNOT let them hide key information that will allow Congress to hold Trump accountable.\n\nIt's time to subpoena Trump's tax returns.\u201d— Stand Up America (@Stand Up America) 1556055971
The organizations' call came after Mnuchin sent a letter (pdf) to Neal Tuesday announcing that the Treasury Department--which oversees the IRS--would miss House Democrats' April 23 deadline. Mnuchin also missed Democrats' original deadline of April 10.
While Trump Wednesday morning told reporters he would fight all subpoena efforts from the Democratic House, Mnuchin said he expects to inform Congress whether his department will hand over Trump's tax returns by May 6.
\u201c\u201cWe\u2019re fighting all the subpoenas ... The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense,\u201d President Trump says of congressional investigations following the redacted Mueller report\u2019s release. https://t.co/DkX15NSQHE\u201d— NBC Politics (@NBC Politics) 1556121006
Though Mnuchin claimed Democrats' request for Trump's tax returns raises "serious constitutional questions," Tax March and Stand Up America said the "law is clear" that the Treasury Department is legally obligated to hand over the documents.
"Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the IRS should have immediately complied with Chairman Neal's request and furnished President Trump's tax returns," the groups said. "Instead, Neal was stymied by Trump's bogeymen who are attempting to prevent Congress from conducting effective oversight of President Trump and his administration."
George K. Yin, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law and former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, told Roll Call that Mnuchin could be held in contempt of Congress--and even imprisoned--if he continues to defy Democrats' request.
"The statute is very clear and seems like very strong support for what Mr. Neal is trying to do," said Yin. "I think [Mnuchin] obviously needs to think very seriously about that; now he might not care if he gets fired, but I think he would care if he gets sent to jail."
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said the House must take "prompt action" in response to Mnuchin's obstruction.
"They don't get to pick and choose the laws with which they will comply," Doggett told the New York Times.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.