Treasury secretary misses deadline for providing Trump tax returns to House panel

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday told a key lawmaker he would make a final decision as to whether to furnish President Trump’s tax returns by May 6, committing for the first time to a specific deadline in what has become a major Washington power struggle.

In a 10-page letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), Mnuchin said the Democrats’ request for Trump’s tax returns raised constitutional and privacy issues that needed to be resolved by the Justice Department before he could make a decision on how to proceed.

The letter repeatedly cast doubt on the motivations of Democrats in seeking the tax return information. Mnuchin served as Trump’s finance chairman during the 2016 presidential campaign, and the president already has signaled he does not want the information released, but multiple legal scholars have said they don’t see much precedent for Mnuchin to ignore the congressional inquiry. Still, Treasury Department officials have taken steps to make their reluctance to turn over the records legally defensible. Tuesday’s letter contained 48 footnotes.

Neal has twice formally requested the tax returns from Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, and the latest deadline was Tuesday at 5 p.m. Mnuchin has responded to both requests with a letter of his own, saying more time was needed while also casting doubt as to why Democrats are seeking the records in the first place.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/treasury-likely-to-defy-tuesday-deadline-to-turn-over-trump-tax-returns/2019/04/23/daa7da46-653e-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html

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Full headline: Treasury secretary misses deadline for providing Trump tax returns to House panel, says he will make final decision by May 6

From the OP article -

also casting doubt as to why Democrats are seeking the records in the first place.

Article I

Section 9.

<...>

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section9

[Evolve Dammit]

1. "Revenge of the Nerds" in real life. If only the consequences weren't so high.

If they all refuse to comply, we've got a huge Constitutional crisis.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. I think all of them are aware of how

a certain someone is quick to throw people under the bus (look at Cohen). So you may actually get some willing to say "the hell with it" and attempt to save their own hides because no one else is going to do so.

[Evolve Dammit]

18. Then they have no moral compass and/or backbone to stand up for their country? Pathetic.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. The GOP is the party of cowards who only function in lockstep because they are weak as individuals.

[Evolve Dammit]

20. So how did we ever win two world wars? This must be a Reagan/ post-Reagan phenomena for the GOP?

Even Nixon did some good things; Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, OSHA, Endangered Species Act. Sadly, Nixon would not make it out of a primary contest today. Which says the GOP has become radicalized and is a threat to our existence.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. Well you know it's bad when the current GOP has thrown their GAWD Raygun under the bus.

[msongs]

2. uh oh time for some sternly worded letters nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Of course he did.

And he doesn't get to make a final decision, or any other kind of decision. The statute says he has to produce them. No wiggle room, no excuses. But he knows his ass is grass if he does it, and he wants to keep his cushy job where he gets to jet all over and fondle the money at Fort Knox while happily violating federal ethics rules ( https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/us/politics/steven-mnuchin-ethics-office.html ) like almost every other member of the administration. If he does what the law requires Trump will probably fire him and tweet about what a traitor he is, and then he'll have to go home to his hedge fund.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. The benefit that half his cabinet had was that

they all had/have more tangible assets than their boss, so this was just "a gig". A "lark".

[cstanleytech]

6. Any chance he can be arrested for breaking the law over this?

[briv1016]

7. I think the proper phrasing is "Pound Sand."

[ffr]

8. Arrest them. It would only take one arrest to set the example.

Scum should spend their days in prison.

[mr_lebowski]

9. This is why I raised a stink when Neal gave 'em this extension in the 1st place ...

Should've just subpoeana'd the first freakin' time, Mr. Neal!

There was never a chance they were going to comply by today, now you've been blown off twice.

What's next? Just going to kowtow and let Mnuchin determine a new deadline (that he'll ignore when teh time comes)?

Ain't NO DECISION FOR YOU to MAKE, Stevie-boy?!?

Hand 'em the F*** over!

[BumRushDaShow]

12. That's not the normal process

It is part of the House Rules (PDF file) and each Committee and Sub-Committee has their own subset of Rules.

It's courtesy and protocol to first make a "formal request" (and yes that still exists because if you drop that concept, then the entire "honor system" that exists for our form of government will then start to collapse). If the "request" is not followed, then you escalate.

[mr_lebowski]

13. We made a formal request for earlier in the month, that was blown-off

There was no escalation at all, Neal pretty much went 'Oh, okay, well, how about the 23rd then?'

This better be the last time w/o escalation. It's not A DECISION for Mnuchin to make, this 'We'll decide by this (THIRD deadline, date decided by Mnuchin)' is freaking BS.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. And in the past

Committees have granted extensions if they receive what they may perceive as a valid excuse.

They are tightening the screws and I guarantee it is stressing some folks out in the administration. Per the Committee Rules they also have subpoena power, which would be the next step.

I expect much of this is being done so that when (and this is probably not an "if" but a "when" ) this request ends up in the courts, they will establish that they followed a regular order process to obtain the documents.

[Power 2 the People]

10. Fuck Mnuchin! That son of a bitch should have been put in jail for One West's fraud

We would have never heard of him! Because he was allowed to skate he ended up being Trump's top bundler and getting that doofus elected. Now he gives everyone the finger and refuses to follow the law because he's knows there are no consequences.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. Criminal referral, then impeach Mnuchin and Rettig, and Barr. Nt

[Progressive Jones]

15. Off topic, but what kind of a name is "Mnuchin"? nt

[Bayard]

16. Derived from, "Munchkin"

See, "Wizard of Oz".

[Progressive Jones]

22. LMAO! nt

[Bayard]

17. Enough of this crap!

The Constitution is very clear on this issue, there is no deliberation. tRump plebes will continue to obstruct all day if allowed to do so.

Time to start arresting them for Contempt of Congress.