ATTORNEY GENERAL/CONGRESS/STEVE MNUCHIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP TAXES: “The Trump administration ruled out turning over President Trump’s tax returns to the House on Monday [5-6-19] and girded for a looming contempt of Congress resolution against Attorney General William P. Barr. The actions ratcheted up the showdown between the executive and legislative branches, as Mr. Trump and his administration continued to resist the Democrats’ oversight efforts on multiple fronts. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard E. Neal of Massachusetts, that he would not grant access to six years of personal and business tax returns. He said the demand ‘lacks a legitimate legislative purpose,’ a view that Democrats are almost certain to contest in court. The Democrats were already moving against Mr. Barr. The House Judiciary Committee announced a vote for Wednesday that would recommend that the House hold Mr. Barr in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for Robert S. Mueller III’s full report and evidence. Though, by Monday evening, the Justice Department had agreed to a staff-level meeting on Tuesday to try to stave off that possibility.”
–Nicholas Fandos and Alan Rappeport, “Democrats Threaten to Hold Barr in Contempt as White House Guards Tax Returns,” The New York Times online, May 6, 2019