IRS Commissioner Won’t Say Whose Job It Is To Fork Over Trump’s Returns

UNITED STATES - APRIL 9: IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, left, talks with Chairman Mike Quigley, D-Ill., during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in Rayburn Building on the IRS's budget request for Fiscal Year 2020 on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
UNITED STATES - APRIL 9: IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, left, talks with Chairman Mike Quigley, D-Ill., during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in Rayburn ... UNITED STATES - APRIL 9: IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, left, talks with Chairman Mike Quigley, D-Ill., during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in Rayburn Building on the IRS's budget request for Fiscal Year 2020 on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) MORE LESS
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Whose job is it to give House Ways and Means Trump’s tax returns, as requested last week?

IRS commissioner Chuck Rettig wouldn’t tell Senate Finance committee ranking member Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in testimony on Wednesday, instead replying that “we are a bureau of the Treasury, and Treasury supervises us.”

Wyden called Neal’s request routine in his questioning, saying that congressional requests for tax information were so normal that a delegation order moving responsibility to reply from the Treasury secretary down to the IRS commissioner had long been in place.

The senator then asked Rettig if he would reply to the request, as per the delegation order.

“I am aware of the delegation order, as is Treasury,” Rettig said, before repeating that Mnuchin “supervises” him.

Wyden then grilled Rettig on whether he had communicated with any Trump administration officials regarding the request, or whether he had been instructed to refuse.

“No,” Rettig repeated.

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