Trump Sues Ways and Means, New York State’s Attorney General, & Tax Chief

CNBC News is reporting that President Donald Trump is suing the State of New York’s Attorney General, the states Tax Chief, and the Democratic led House Ways and Means Committee, according to a complaint filed Tuesday.

NBC News reports the suit seeks to block the House Ways and Means Committee from using a newly passed New York law in order to obtain President Trump New York state tax returns.

As the News Blender reported in April, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA), hand delivered a letter to the IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, requesting copies of six years worth of federal returns and return information for both President Trump and President Trump Businesses.

Neal cited rarely used provision in the tax code to make the request, which as Snip Bytes reported in May, was denied by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

This denial as Snip Bytes reported led Neal to sue the IRS and Treasury, saying in a statement at the time that, “Despite its mandatory obligation, the Treasury Department failed to comply with the law and denied the Committee’s request. The Administration also refused to comply with the subpoenas I subsequently issued in an effort to obtain the materials. Due to that noncompliance, the Committee is now pursuing this matter in the federal court.”

CNN explains that this new lawsuit, comes as President Trump is, “appealing other court decisions that sided with Congress when the President attempted to block congressional committees from obtaining his financial records.”

Mentioned in the lawsuit is an article that NBC News published on Monday, that reported Neal was feeling pressure from fellow Democrats to use the New York law, that requires the state to furnish congressional tax-related committees with state tax returns of public officials,” in order to obtain tax information for President Trump.

Neal told Bloomberg News, that even though he can legally use the new law to obtain tax records on President Trump, he has no intention of doing so, saying he fears that getting the state returns would harm his on-going attempt to obtain federal tax records and bolster President Trump’s claim that Congress is on a “fishing expedition.”

Neal also explained that Congress has no jurisdiction over New York taxes.

New York Attorney General and named defendant in the lawsuit Letitia “Tish” James offered a statement via Twitter.

Fox News is reporting that the lawsuit was filed “in his [President Trump’s] capacity as a private citizen.”

Jay Sekulow, President Trump’s lawyer said in a statement to Fox News, that they have filed the lawsuit in an effort to end Presidential harassment, stating that the Committee and New York’s new law are simply political retribution.

We have filed a lawsuit today in our ongoing efforts to end Presidential harassment. The harassment tactics lack a legitimate legislative purpose. The actions taken by the House and New York officials are nothing more than political retribution.

Jay Sekulow, Fox News.

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About Tiff 2521 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.