Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday that President Donald Trump “has no intention” of releasing his tax returns, which would show the public how much he would benefit personally from the administration’s plan to overhaul the tax code.
At a White House news conference to roll out the administration’s tax cut proposal, journalists peppered Mnuchin with questions about Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns, which has been standard practice for every president and major presidential candidate for at least the past four decades.
“The president has no intention,” Mnuchin said. “The president has released plenty of information, and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else. I think the American population has plenty of information.”
Trump and his spokespeople have often cited his taxes being under audit as an excuse for him keeping them private, although there is no IRS restriction on an individual making public his or her tax returns while under audit.
Mnuchin, however, did not mention the audit as an excuse. Rather, he issued a blanket denial that the president plans to ever release his tax returns.
Senate Democrats have threatened to withhold support for Trump’s tax plan until he releases his tax returns, saying the documents are essential for the public to determine whether the president would benefit from his own proposal and by how much.
When a reporter asked Wednesday whether Trump would pay more or less taxes under the administration’s proposal, Mnuchin demurred.
“I can’t comment on the president’s tax situation since I don’t have access to that,” Mnuchin said.
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Philip Rucker
{Matzav}
