Secretary Steven Mnuchin Says Treasury Is Unable To Comply With Deadline For Trump’s Tax Returns

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin informed Congress early Wednesday evening that his department would be unable to comply with House Democrats’ deadline for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, inserting himself into what is sure to be a pitched battle for the closely held documents.

In a letter Wednesday to House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, Mnuchin said that “the Treasury Department will not be able to complete its review” by Wednesday’s deadline Democrats had given Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig to turn over six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns.

Highlighting what he called the “unprecedented nature of this request,” Mnuchin said that he would be overseeing the Treasury’s handling of the request and that the Department of Justice was being consulted “to ensure that our response is fully consistent with the law and Constitution.”

Mnuchin’s decision to involve himself and the Justice Department in processing the returns suggests that he does not feel compelled to stick to a deadline, making for a prolonged and politicized process.

Congressional Democrats believe the law clearly allows them to ask for the information in this way.

Mnuchin stressed in the letter that his and the Justice Department’s involvement was to protect all American taxpayers from the potential implications of the request.