US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will defy a congressional subpoena by refusing to release President Donald Trump's tax returns, setting up a potential legal struggle in the courts.
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In a letter to the House of Representative's Ways and Means Committee, Mnuchin said the request for the returns by Friday served "no legislative purpose".
The remarks were similar to what Mnuchin had said to an earlier request this month.
Committee chairman Richard Neal has been asking for the returns for more than a month, saying the law requires the Internal Revenue Service to hand over the documents upon congressional request. Tax returns are normally private.
Trump refused to release his returns when he ran for office in 2016, saying he was under audit. The move broke with tradition in recent decades, though he is not legally required to produce his returns.
"Better to move it over to the next branch of government," Neal told broadcaster CNN when asked about the next step, referring to the courts.
Australian Associated Press