A secret internal memo written by IRS attorneys says the Commissioner must obey the law and hand over President Donald Trump’s tax returns, according to a just-published Washington Post bombshell.
The Post says the only exception would be if “the president takes the rare step of asserting executive privilege,” which he has not.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin falsely claimed he had not only the right but the obligation to not follow the law, saying House Ways and Means Committee Chairman had no “legislative purpose.” He falsely claimed Treasury is “not authorized” to hand over the tax returns.
The secret and previously undisclosed 10-page IRS memo states that handing over Trump’s tax returns “is mandatory, requiring the Secretary to disclose returns, and return information, requested by the tax-writing Chairs.”
It also states the law “does not allow the Secretary to exercise discretion in disclosing the information provided the statutory conditions are met.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) has yet to comment.
You can read the full memo here.
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