Donald Trump will not release his tax returns, a top aide to his campaign said Wednesday amid speculation that the Republican nominee’s businesses have ties to Russian financiers.
"Mr. Trump has said that his taxes are under audit and he will not be releasing them," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told CBS This Morning.
Manafort denied allegations that Trump has a financial relationship with Russia, calling such accusations "an absurd attempt by the Clinton campaign to get the focus off what the real issue is," referring to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state.
Manafort said Trump would not release his taxes to shed light on his financial relationships while his taxes remain under audit.
"It has nothing to do with Russia, it has nothing to do with any country other than the United States and his normal tax auditing process," he said.
Every presidential candidate, regardless of party, has disclosed tax returns since Richard Nixon. Though not required by law, Trump’s refusal bucks a longstanding precedent that has become expected of those seeking the White House.
Trump has rejected calls from Democrats and Republicans, including former president Mitt Romney and competitor Clinton, to release his tax documents.
Trump said in May that he would "like to" release the returns before the November election, but had to wait until the completion of an IRS audit. Some observers have noted that an audit does not prevent an individual from disclosing their returns.