(Politico)
JEREMY B. WHITE 07/30/2019 2:19 PM
California Gov. Gavin Newsom embraced a politically explosive and legally dubious attempt to pry loose President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Tuesday, signing legislation that would boot Trump from California primary ballots if he doesn’t make his filings public.
For Democrats who wield absolute control over Sacramento, the measure offered a chance to directly confront a president who is deeply unpopular among most California voters — and for Newsom to escalate his long-standing feud with the president while distinguishing himself from Gov. Jerry Brown, who vetoed a similar measure in 2017.
Newsom rarely hesitates to throw punches at Trump, habitually assailing the president on Twitter as the California Department of Justice challenges the administration over dozens of policies. Before becoming governor, Newsom regularly called out Trump for not disclosing his tax returns and insinuated that Trump was hiding damaging information.
Signaling that a lawsuit was likely forthcoming, counsel to the president Jay Sekulow said in an email that “the State of California’s attempt to circumvent the Constitution will be answered in court.”
Trump has sued to rebuff House Democrats who are subpoenaing his tax returns and challenged New York officials who enacted a law that could expose the president’s financial records.
And Newsom's signature could push his already-contentious relationship with Trump into volatile new territory — potentially imperiling California's relationship with Washington.
In his signing message, Newsom wrote that in "extraordinary times," state officials "have a legal and moral duty to do everything in their power to ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards, and to restore public confidence."
"This law should be a national standard," Newsom wrote, underscoring his long-standing push to position California as a model for anti-Trumpism, a framing that has helped elevate Newsom to a national figure.
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