Mnuchin, IRS Chief Hit With Subpoenas on Trump Tax Returns

The Treasury Department and IRS have been put on alert, and they've got a deadline. Politico reports on the ongoing Democratic effort to obtain President Trump's tax returns, with the latest move involving subpoenas from Richard Neal, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "While I do not take this step lightly, I believe this action gives us the best opportunity to succeed and obtain the requested material," Neal said in a statement. Rettig and Mnuchin, who's said he doesn't believe Democrats have a "legitimate" rationale for wanting to get their hands on the president's tax returns, have been told they have till 5pm next Friday to turn over the returns.

The House Dems are seeking six years of Trump's personal and business returns, from 2013 to 2018, per the New York Times, which notes this subpoena will likely be ignored like others already issued, as the president has issued a blanket vow to fight all of them. If these subpoenas go the way of the others, it means the case would head to federal court, where a century-old tax provision that isn't typically used to request a president's tax info would be hashed out. Politico notes that such a battle could extend even beyond the 2020 elections. (Donald Trump Jr. got his own subpoena this week.)