An internal draft memo at the IRS argues the agency should comply with congressional requests for President Donald Trump's tax returns despite pushback from the White House.
The Washington Post obtained a copy of the 10-page memo, which was written last fall. The unknown author wrote that complying with Congress in regards to Trump's tax returns, which he has refused to hand over because he said he is under audit, is "mandatory, requiring the [Treasury] Secretary [Steven Mnuchin] to disclose returns, and return information, requested by the tax-writing Chairs."
The document says current law "does not allow the Secretary to exercise discretion in disclosing the information provided the statutory conditions are met.
"[T]he Secretary's obligation to disclose return and return information would not be affected by the failure of a tax writing committee . . . to state a reason for the request . . . [the] only basis the agency's refusal to comply with a committee's subpoena would be the invocation of the doctrine of executive privilege."
The IRS told the Post the document does not represent the agency's "official position" on the matter.
According to the Post, the memo was not signed and does not mention Trump.
In the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, which cleared Trump of conspiring with the Russians to win the 2016 election but did outline potential areas where Trump might have obstructed justice during the two-year probe, Democrats are champing at the bit to find something on Trump that could be used in a potential impeachment trial.
Trump said during his 2016 presidential campaign he would not make his tax returns public because of the ongoing audit. He has resisted calls ever since to release them, including orders by Democratic lawmakers.
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