Trump sues Democrats to shield New York tax returns

President Donald Trump is going to court to prevent House Democrats from getting his long-hidden tax returns from the state of New York.

In a suit filed Tuesday in Washington, he asked a federal court to prevent Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal from taking advantage of a recently passed New York law designed to give Neal access to Trump’s confidential state tax filings.

The suit, which targets both Neal and New York officials, comes as the Massachusetts Democrat is simultaneously suing Trump for his federal tax returns.

Neal has been lukewarm on the prospects of tapping the New York law, suggesting that using it could undermine his bid for Trump’s federal returns. The president’s lawsuit expresses concern that Neal could nevertheless act on the law at any time.

It contends that Democrats do not have a legitimate reason for seeking Trump’s New York returns “because the committee’s jurisdiction is limited to federal taxes, no legislation could possibly result from a request for the president’s state tax returns.”