Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells Fox News' Chris Wallace that Trump may order the IRS to refuse Congress on his tax returns
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) has asked for six years of President Trump's personal and business tax returns by April 23, using a law that doesn't give Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin much wiggle room. On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders if Trump will "tell the IRS not to release them?" "We'll have to see what happened on that front," Sanders said.
Sanders repeated the argument from Trump's lawyers and Mnuchin that Neal's stated policy purpose for seeking Trump's tax returns is insufficient or purely partisan, claiming "the only reason that the oversight committee has the ability to request someone's taxes are for the purpose of determining policy." (Whether Neal needs a policy purpose is a question that hasn't been answered by the courts, though the 1924 tax law in question was enacted in response to the Harding administration's Teapot Dome scandal and most legal experts agree Neal's purpose would pass the legal threshold in any case.)
And Sanders raised a new line of attack, not based on the law at all: "Frankly, Chris, I don't think Congress — particularly not this group of congressmen and women — are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that President Trump's taxes will be."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Wallace also asked Sanders how the White House is preparing for information in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report that "clearly is going to be damaging to the president" — "I don't think it is going to be damaging to the president," she said — and Sanders claimed Trump's repeated praise of WikiLeaks was clearly Trump "making a joke during the 2016 campaign," to which a skeptical Wallace replied: "It was a joke he made over and over again." Watch the entire interview below. Peter Weber
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Tesla cuts prices in 'intensifying' EV war
Speed Read Electric vehicle giant has struggled in the face of weakening demand, competition from China and technical setbacks
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay: unwind at this picture-perfect resort
The Week Recommends The retreat that's ideal for recharging your batteries while experiencing life on an Indonesian island
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
The World War Two experiments that made D-Day possible
Under The Radar Scientists performed gruelling tests on themselves paving the way for the iconic invasion
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published