The Treasury Secretary’s first public comments about a leaked IRS memo were unconvincing.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin doesn’t think an internal IRS memo that says the agency has a legal obligation to turn over Trump’s tax records to Congress contradicts his position that he has no legal obligation to do so — or so he told the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday.
Asked by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) about the memo, which was first reported on by Jeff Stein and Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post and says disclosure of the president’s tax returns “is mandatory, requiring the Secretary to disclose returns, and return information, requested by the tax-writing Chairs,” Mnuchin flatly insisted it doesn’t contradict his position that turning the returns over isn’t mandatory.
“You are at least aware that the conclusion of that [IRS] memo directly contradicts the conclusion that you’re relying upon?” Wexton asked him.
“No, I actually don’t believe that’s the case,” Mnuchin said. “That memo I understand is addressing a different issue and is not addressing the issue that we and the Department of Justice looked at.”
Here’s Mnuchin insisting to @RepWexton that an IRS memo directly contradicting his rationale for not turning over Trump’s tax returns to Congress does not in fact contradict his rationale for not turning over Trump’s tax returns.
