Trump gambles he can stall Democratic tax returns demand past 2020 election

President Trump is gambling that he can stall investigations by House Democrats into his finances until after the 2020 presidential election.

The president’s strategy, prompted most immediately by the demand from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., for six years' worth of his tax returns, is seen by legal experts as a political delaying tactic rather than a winning legal strategy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has twice missed deadlines from Neal to have the IRS turn over the tax information for confidential review by the committee, and has said that he'll determine by Monday whether to comply, after consulting with the Justice Department — which Trump’s personal attorneys asked Treasury to do. A Treasury representative did not respond to a request for comment on whether he will accede to Democrats' inquiry.

If Mnuchin doesn't comply on Monday, Democrats are likely to escalate the standoff into a court battle, setting up a lengthy legal process that likely wouldn't end before the election.

“I would think it’s time to say, you’ve insulted us enough, [Congress] is not going to be put in the back seat, and therefore here’s the contempt charge, here’s the subpoena with it,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., one of the most outspoken proponents on the Ways and Means Committee of obtaining Trump’s tax returns.