Trump’s Lawyer Urges IRS to Reject Democrats’ Demand for President’s Tax Returns

A lawyer for President Trump said that House Democrats’ request for the president’s tax returns flouts constitutional constraints and should be rejected by the Internal Revenue Service.

In a letter to the Treasury Department’s top lawyer, attorney William Consovoy began laying out a legal case that the Trump administration could use to refuse the congressional request. Mr. Consovoy argued there are limits to a 1924 law that requires the IRS to turn over any tax returns sought by Rep. Richard Neal (D., Mass.), chairman of the House’s tax-writing committee.

“If the IRS acquiesces to Chairman Neal’s request, it would set a dangerous precedent,” Mr. Consovoy wrote to Treasury Department General Counsel Brent McIntosh. “Once this Pandora’s box is opened, the ensuing tit-for-tat will do lasting damage to our nation.”

Mr. Trump broke a four-decade tradition among presidents and major-party candidates in 2016 when he refused to disclose his tax returns. He sometimes has said he would release his returns once audits are complete, and he sometimes has said that no one cares about his taxes.