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New York Passes Law Allowing Release of Trump’s State Tax Returns to Congress

Jay Sekulow, President Trump’s personal lawyer, called the bill “more presidential harassment.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved a pair of bills on Monday that will allow the state to release President Trump’s tax returns if they are requested by the leaders of the three congressional tax-writing committees. The new legislation also applies to members of the president’s staff, cabinet officials from New York, and state elected officials and judges. Previously, congressional panels could only file a request for the state’s returns after efforts to gain access through the Treasury Department had failed. “This bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Tax secrecy is paramount—the exception being for bona fide investigative and law enforcement purposes.” President Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, called the bills “more presidential harassment.”