On Tuesday, an editorial in The New York Times ripped Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin after he refused to turn over President Donald Trump's tax returns.
House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Richard Neal, requested six years of Trump's tax returns. The editorial said that the law was "clear" enough for Mnuchin to understand even though he rebuffed the request.
"As to whether Congress may obtain a president’s tax returns, there is no ambiguity," the editorial board wrote. "Perhaps that statute is not clear enough for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin."
They went on to explain that Mnuchin was "stonewalling."
"The Treasury secretary cited no authority for this stonewalling, which is consistent with the Trump administration’s broad resistance to congressional oversight and the president’s push to quash any investigation into his finances," they wrote.
They went on to say that there is no precedent for his refusal to turn over the tax returns. They explained that he is looking for a fight in the courts.
Adding, "Just as the law is clear on this matter, so too is Supreme Court precedent. The court has repeatedly affirmed the validity of congressional actions taken within the 'sphere of legitimate legislative activity.'"
"He seems to be preparing for a showdown in the courts, which, if history serves as a guide, should give him and his committee the latitude to continue their legislative functions unimpeded," the editorial said.
Read the full editorial here.