Trump asked that the confirmation of I.R.S. Council is a priority

"This is called presidential harassment," he said. And it's unfortunate. And it really hurts our country.

The President expressed his concerns about Mr. Desmond's quick confirmation to Mr. McConnell at about the time Mr. Trump was preparing to deliver his State of the Union address. the person.

Hogan Gidley, White House deputy press secretary, refused to discuss the details of the conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. McConnell.

"Democrats have blocked and delayed a record number of qualified candidates from President Trump. It is therefore not surprising that he regularly communicates with Majority Leader McConnell on how to increase confirmation of the democrats' ridiculous behavior, "says Gidley.

David Popp, a spokesman for McConnell, also declined to comment.

But according to someone familiar with what happened, Mr. Trump told McConnell that Mr. Desmond was increasingly frustrated with the blockage and was considering withdrawing from the process.

Democrats in the House rely on a little-known provision in the federal tax code to try to look at Mr. Trump's personal and professional tax returns. The provision, added in the 1920s, gives the chairs of the congressional tax drafting committees – including the House-run Committee on Ways and Means – the power to ask for information about any depositor to be considered in the House. private.

The text of the law does not give the Trump administration clear grounds for refusing a request from Mr. Neal, stating only that, upon request, the Treasury Secretary "must" provide the information. But Treasury Department officials are preparing to challenge any request from Mr. Neal. They would most likely argue that his action is politically motivated, unrelated to real political issues and thus illegitimate.

Mr Trump, questioned on Wednesday about the journalists' request for an Oval Office event, claimed that he was still being audited, claiming that he has been defending for years for not publishing his statements. of income, as did the previous presidents.