Democrats escalate  battle over President Trump's taxes — here's what they just did

The House Ways and Means Committee issued subpoenas to obtain six years of President Donald Trump's taxes after Treasury Secretary Mnuchin denied their request on Monday.

Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) issued a subpoena to Mnuchin and also to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig.

Mnuchin had first denied the request by saying he was going to ask for guidance from the Department of Justice, and then said that the committee's request did not have the proper rationale for a "legitimate legislative purpose."

Critics of Mnuchin say that he's thumbing his nose at the oversight duty of Congress, while others say Democrats are overstepping their bounds with a politically motivated demand.

One such critic was Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who is also on the House Ways and Means Committee.

"After consulting with the Justice Department, the Treasury Department has come to the firm conclusion that we have known since day one: this request from House Democrats to weaponize the tax code for purely political reasons is illegitimate and should be treated as such," said Brady.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joked about imprisoning Mnuchin if he refused the request for Trump's taxes, and threw in the rest of the administration for good measure.

Here's the latest on the pursuit of Trump's taxes:

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