Mulvaney: Democrats will ‘never’ see Trump’s tax returns

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday that Democrats will “never” see President Trump’s tax returns.

“Nor should they. That’s an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns, they knew that he didn’t, and they elected him anyway,” Mulvaney said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”

{mosads}He added that Democrats “know they’re not going to” get the tax returns.

“They just want attention on the issue because they don’t want to talk to us about policy,” he said.

Last week, House Democrats formally requested Trump’s tax returns, with Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) asking IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to turn over six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns.

One of Trump’s personal lawyers later urged the IRS not to release the tax returns, arguing that Democrats can’t legally request them. Neal made the request under a provision of the federal tax code that states the Treasury secretary “shall furnish” tax returns upon request from the chairmen of Congress’s tax committees, provided that the documents associated with a particular taxpayer are viewed in a closed session.

Trump has said repeatedly that he won’t release his returns because he is under audit. The IRS says it does not prevent individuals from releasing their personal returns.

Mulvaney added Sunday that Democrats “know what the law is.”

“They know one of the fundamental principles of the IRS is to protect the confidentiality of you and me and everybody else who files taxes. They know that. They know the terms under law by which the IRS can give them the documents, but political hit job is not one of those reasons,” he said.