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"I will consult with the Treasury and I will respect the law," Mnuchin told reporters at the request of Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett.
The Republicans, who argued that Trump had the right to privacy, quickly indicated that they felt that no Democrat demand would be lawful. .
"This is a violation of the law," said Republican Rep. Kevin Brady, a current member of the House Ways and Means Committee, on the sidelines of the hearing.
"I think the Democrats are violating the law and creating a dangerous precedent," added Brady.
Democrats in the House were preparing to seek Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service under an obscure provision that gives leaders of the House and Senate Tax Drafting Committees the power to to request taxpayer information from the Treasury Department.
It states that "the secretary shall provide this committee with any return or return information specified in this application".
Since the early 1970s, most presidents have chosen to disclose to the public their tax returns for the years in which they served and only for the duration of their term, which they are not aware of. obliged to do under the law.
The practice began with Jimmy Carter, who ran and took office following the tax scandal of Richard Nixon and Watergate.
Then, in 2016, Trump became the first major candidate to refuse, citing an ongoing audit.
The decision on how to process a Trump return application will come back to Mnuchin, one of the president's closest confidants and his first support.
Mnuchin told the parliamentary committee that he had not yet received a congressional request on this subject and that he had already started consulting his general advocate in anticipation of such a request. .
"If you have a request for me today, I will accept it," Mnuchin said. "I can not speculate on a request until I see it."
Once he did, he said that he would discuss with the Treasury legal department. "We will examine it and respect the law," Mnuchin said.
When asked if he was aware of the billions of requests made by federal agencies to obtain individual tax records from the IRS, Mnuchin responded that he was not aware of the billions of requests made by federal agencies to obtain individual tax records from the IRS. was nothing of it.
Each year, the Treasury Department publishes a list of tax return disclosures within 90 days of the end of the calendar year.
Last year's list included 11 billion requests. These requests may include many requests for the same individual or company.
"I am not aware of this," said Mnuchin, interviewed by Georgia's Democratic Representative, John Lewis.
Mnuchin spoke with his legislative staff before answering: "This is not something I would sign, it is something that the IRS would sign."
CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
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