Mnuchin says Treasury lawyers consulted White House on Trump tax returns

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Tuesday that Treasury Department lawyers had held “informational” discussions with the White House about an expected request from House Democrats for President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Democrats are pursuing Trump’s returns under a legal authority that aims to prevent interference from the White House on the Treasury’s decision whether to release the tax returns, in what the White House chief of staff has called a “political stunt.” Mnuchin said at a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing that the conversations had taken place before House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal’s request last week for six years of Trump’s tax returns.