President Donald Trump sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California secretary of state Tuesday after the state passed a new law requiring presidential candidates to release tax returns.
The Republican National Committee also sued, calling the law a “naked political attack against the sitting president of the United States.” Trump and his campaign filed a second suit challenging the constitutionality of the new law, known as the “California Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act.”
It requires candidates running for U.S. president to release five years of their tax returns, which the state would publish for public viewing.
California lawmakers approved a similar measure in 2017, but former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed it. The suits claim the law suppress the votes of millions of Californians, while the RNC asserts Newsom, who signed the law in July, was creating an “extra-constitutional qualification for the office of president.” The suit argues the law targets an official.