House Democrat Demands Six Years of Trump Tax Returns From I.R.S.

Defying modern presidential norms, Mr. Trump has refused since he became a candidate for president to release any of his tax returns. Democrats suspect the tax information could provide clues to wrongdoing by Mr. Trump, and they made getting the documents one of their top oversight priorities when they reclaimed control of the House in January.

Mr. Neal said he was making the request as part of his committee’s oversight of “the extent to which the I.R.S. audits and enforces the federal tax laws against a president.” Under I.R.S. policy, the personal tax returns of presidents and vice presidents are supposed to be automatically audited each year. Mr. Neal said the committee was considering legislation related to the issue.

“I take the authority to make this request very seriously, and I approach it with the utmost care and respect,” Mr. Neal said in a statement. “This request is about policy, not politics; my preparations were made on my own track and timeline, entirely independent of other activities in Congress and the administration.”

He added, “I trust that in this spirit, the I.R.S. will comply with federal law and furnish me with the requested documents in a timely manner.”

In addition to Mr. Trump’s personal returns for 2013 to 2018, Mr. Neal requested returns for Mr. Trump’s trust and seven other core Trump business entities that control scores of other Trump operations, including his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. He also asked the I.R.S. to share any information it had related to the entities, including whether they had been audited.

Liberal Democrats have complained for weeks that Mr. Neal, 70 and a roll-up-your-sleeves legislator, was dragging his feet on making the request. They have organized events in his district, taken out advertisements and produced legal briefs meant to make a case that he should act and act quickly.