The Department of Justice said Friday that the Treasury Department must turn former President Donald Trump's tax returns over to the House Ways and Means Committee.

What You Need To Know

  • The Department of Justice said Friday that the Treasury Department must turn former President Donald Trump's tax returns over to Congress

  • During the former president's administration, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he wouldn’t turn over the tax returns, claiming they were being sought by Democrats who control the House of Representatives for partisan reasons

  • Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. already has obtained copies of Trump’s personal and business tax records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation

  • "Access to former President Trump’s tax returns is a matter of national security," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement following the decision

"The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has invoked sufficient reasons for requesting the former President's tax information," the opinion from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel reads. "Treasury must furnish the information to the Committee."

The Ways and Means Committee requested Trump's tax returns more than two years ago.  

During the former president's administration, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he wouldn’t turn over the tax returns, claiming they were being sought by Democrats who control the House of Representatives for partisan reasons.

The committee sued for the records under a federal law that says the Internal Revenue Service “shall furnish” the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of top lawmakers. The committee it needed Trump’s taxes for an investigation into whether he complied with tax law.

"Access to former President Trump’s tax returns is a matter of national security," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement following the decision. "The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president."

The opinion issued Friday said that the Office of Legal Counsel's previous ruling in 2019 "went astray" in saying that "the Executive Branch should closely scrutinize the Committee’s stated justifications for its requests in a manner that failed to accord the respect and deference due a coordinate branch of government."

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. already has obtained copies of Trump’s personal and business tax records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Trump tried to prevent his accountants from handing over the documents, taking the issue to the Supreme Court. The justices rejected Trump’s argument that he had broad immunity as president.

Under a court order from January, Trump would have 72 hours to object after the Biden administration formally changes the government’s position in the lawsuit.

The issue of the former president's taxes dates back to the 2016 presidential campaign. Then-Candidate Trump claimed that he could not release his taxes due to an IRS audit.

This is a developing story. Check back later for further updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.