Five things to watch in the Trump tax fight

House Democrats this week officially asked President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump: "I do not need a summit" with Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. A New York man arrested for uttering death threats against the fencing of Omar Border, labeled that the first section of the Trump Wall had been approved by Obama: PLUS reportThe IRS tax returns, starting a new battle with the administration.

House Committee on Ways and Means Richard NealRichard Edmund NealGOP: a senator tears a failed representative looking for taxes Trump: "It must be really bad that this idiot is a fool" Trump's lawyer asks the Treasury not to disclose the president's tax returns until the GM gives his opinion. tax return request | How does the fight test Mnuchin's loyalty to Trump | The economy bounces back with 196,000 jobs in March | Trump calls on Fed to cut rates (D-Mass.) Claimed six years at a time for Trump's personal tax returns and for the statements of several of his business entities.

Trump, who has long said he would not publish his tax returns because he was audited, quickly stated that he did not want the administration to comply with the request.

Given the disagreements between Democrats and the administration, the case should lead to a legal battle.

Here are five things to watch for in the fight for Trump's tax returns.

What legal arguments are emerging on both sides?

Democrats and their supporters say that the law leaves no room for maneuver to the administration to refuse their request.

They point out the fact that Neal made his claim under a provision of the federal tax code stipulating that the Treasury "must provide" tax returns at the request of the chairpersons of congressional tax committees, provided that the documents associated with a given taxpayer are consulted in a file. closed session.

The courts have already held that Congressional requests for information must be met when they have a legitimate legislative purpose.

Democrats say that their request has that. In his letter to the IRS, Neal emphasized the Ways and Means Committee's interest in legislative proposals and oversight related to IRS chair audits.

Trump and the Republicans, however, are already beginning to assert that Democrats' demand has no legitimate legislative purpose.

William Consovoy, Trump's outside lawyer, said Friday in a letter to the Treasury Department that Neal did not really want Trump's tax returns to review the IRS, and that his claim was about "scoring money." political points "against the president.

Consovoy also said that this would set a bad precedent for the IRS to provide the statements, as this would allow politicians to use tax returns to harass their political opponents. And he argued that it was inappropriate for Neal to request returns related to an ongoing IRS audit.

Who defends Trump?

Trump retained the services of Consovoy to represent it, as well as its commercial entities, with respect to the request. But there are also a number of government officials who could play a crucial role in any attempt to fight Trump's tax return applications.

The Treasury Secretary is one of the officials who is under close scrutiny Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinOn The Money – Presented by the Job Creators Network – A Trump Lawyer Urges the Treasury to Reject the Tax Filing Request | How does the fight test Mnuchin's loyalty to Trump | The economy bounces back with 196,000 jobs in March | Trump asks the Fed to reduce Trump rates The administrator imposes new sanctions against the Venezuelan oil industry The Hill's 12:30 Report – Presented by Kidney Care Partners – Biden says "no sorry "for past actions MOREsince the IRS is part of the Treasury and the statue invoked by the Democrats expressly mentions the Secretary of the Treasury. Mnuchin is one of Trump's most loyal allies.

Mnuchin said he would discuss the legality of a Trump tax return application with Treasury lawyers. Consovoy's letter was addressed to Treasury Advocate Brent McIntosh.

Another officer to watch is IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, to whom Neal's letter was sent. The IRS typically processes claims in the invoked Neal tax code section.

Trump also wants the Attorney General William BarrThe closing of William Barrham BarrBorder was approved by Obama with the first section of the Trump Wall. Report House Dems sues Trump about the national emergency declaration Blame the law, not the lawyers MORE to be involved.

When reporters asked Trump when he was going to tell the IRS not to provide his statements to the Democrats, the president said, "They will talk to my lawyers and the Attorney General". And the letter from Consovoy said that the IRS should not provide Neal with Trump's tax returns until the Legal Counsel's Office of the Department of Justice has issued an opinion.

Do divisions between democrats deepen during the fight?

Neal applied for Trump's tax return several months after becoming chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, claiming that he wished to be methodical because he expected the deal to be handled by a tribunal. But some progressives were frustrated that he did not apply earlier.

Liberal groups who were pressuring Neal praised his request, and many now plan to focus on ensuring the administration meets the president's request. But they are not supposed to completely relieve Neal and Democrat leaders.

Tax March spokesman Ryan Thomas said his group and its partner organizations would continue to press the Democrats for what they ask the IRS to provide the documents but that a lot of our efforts would entice the IRS to comply.

Will Simons, press officer for Need to Impeach, a group founded by billionaire Tom Steyer, said the group plans to remain active in Neal District to ensure lawmakers publish the information they have acquired. during their investigations.

How much do voters care about the fight?

Several candidates in the Democratic presidential election of 2020 have already released their own tax returns in order to distinguish themselves from those of Trump, and others are expected to follow in the coming days.

But we do not know how important the Democrats' struggle for Trump's tax returns will be for voters.

Some clues suggest that the problem of the tax return can give the Democrats energy. According to the group, about 125,000 people attended the 2017 Tax Walk events to urge Trump to release its statements.

But Trump still won the 2016 elections, even though the Democrats repeatedly attacked him for refusing to publish his reports. Some Democratic strategists believe that party candidates should focus more on issues such as health care than on Trump's investigations.

Will the public ever see Trump's return?

While Neal wants the IRS to provide him with Trump's statements by April 10, there is a good chance he will not receive them at that time, given the President's opposition to the request. .

Democrats have prepared for a fight in the courts, and such a battle may be long.

Andy Grewal, a law professor at the University of Iowa, said the courts could take some time before even deciding whether the House would have the right to sue on this.

"Just the question of whether they have the right to sue could take years to resolve," he said.

If Democrats receive Trump's tax returns, the documents will not be made public immediately. In order for the information to be made public, the Ways and Means Committee will have to include it in a report and vote to submit the report to the entire House.

"The law is very clear, you can not just make things public once you have them," Rep. Bill PascrellWilliam (Bill) James PascrellDems officially requests the Trump tax returns. A working group consisting of tax writers forming the ceiling of the SALT deduction. (D-N.J.), Member of the Ways and Means Committee, told The Hill. "So we will decide by vote if we expose something to the public."