The limits to Democratic actions against Trump

In a scenario that could pit the president’s personal interests against the government’s obligations, the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, told The New York Times in November that he would honor any legal requests from Congress to release the president’s tax returns.

Even if congressional Democrats do obtain Mr. Trump’s tax returns, they may face legal and political risks for releasing the documents to the public without his approval. The provision that grants congressional authority to request the returns allows committees to share the documents with the full House and Senate, but “only when sitting in closed executive session unless such taxpayer otherwise consents in writing to such disclosure.”