Congress is granted access by New York's governor to scrutinize Donald Trump's state tax returns.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that allows certain members of Congress to access President Donald Trump's New York state tax returns. The legislation, which was passed weeks ago by the Democratically controlled state Legislature, is intended to strengthen the democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law.

The bill applies to public officials and entities controlled or have a large stake in by these officials. It makes it easier for New York to turn over the state tax returns of these individuals upon request by the leaders of the three congressional tax-writing committees.

This move comes as House Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., has stated that he will not request the state returns of President Trump. Neal feels that doing so would harm his efforts at obtaining Trump's federal returns. Just this week, Neal sued the IRS and the Treasury Department for Trump's federal returns.

The bill giving Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities is separate from another bill currently under consideration by Governor Cuomo. This second bill aims to allow state prosecutors to pursue charges against certain people even if they had received a presidential pardon. Trump has spoken about the possibility of pardoning those accused or convicted of crimes stemming from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

The bill allowing state prosecutors to pursue charges against pardoned individuals is not explicitly aimed at Trump, but it could potentially be used in such a case. However, it has not been signed by Governor Cuomo yet.

The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is Jason Smith (R-MO), not a Democrat. Currently, there is no indication that he or any Democrat in that role has sued the IRS and the Treasury for the president's tax returns.

The bill signed by Governor Cuomo also applies to entities controlled or have a large stake in by public officials. This means that it could potentially be used to access the tax returns of Trump's businesses, which have significant operations in New York.

In summary, Governor Cuomo has signed a bill that allows certain members of Congress to access President Trump's New York state tax returns. This bill is separate from another bill currently under consideration that would allow state prosecutors to pursue charges against pardoned individuals. The bill is part of a broader effort to ensure accountability and uphold the democratic system.

Congress is granted access by New York's governor to scrutinize Donald Trump's state tax returns.