WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump is suing the House Ways and Means Committee and New York state officials in an effort to block the disclosure of his state tax returns.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, seeks an injunction that would block the application of a new state law in New York that could allow the Ways and Means panel, chaired by Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., to obtain the president's state tax records.
"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. The Committee thus lacks a legitimate legislative purpose for using the TRUST Act," the lawsuit states.
The New York law, passed in May, authorized the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to share tax return information with congressional committees that request them.
Earlier this month, the Democrat-led House panel filed a lawsuit to enforce its subpoena for Trump's tax returns, calling the government's refusal to turn over the records "an extraordinary attack" on congressional oversight.
The lawsuit in federal district court in Washington was the first legal action from House Democrats to enforce a subpoena among the numerous investigations into the Trump administration launched since taking control of the chamber in January.
Trump's new legal action intervenes in that suit, according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Trump has refused to show his tax documents before or after winning the 2016 presidential election. He is the first president in modern history to buck the longstanding tradition for candidates to disclose their returns.
