Recently NBC's Chuck Todd asked Donald Trump if he would pledge to release his tax returns before the general election, to which Trump responded that he'd love to, except for the fact that he's still being audited.
"Sure. If the auditors finish. I'll do it as fast as the auditors finish. You don't learn much from tax returns. But I would love to give the tax returns. But I can't do it until I'm finished with the audit."
However, as NBC reports, The Donald told the Associated Press on Tuesday that he likely won't be releasing any information before the November election due to the ongoing audit of his tax returns since 2009. If that turns out to be the case, Trump will be the first nominee since 1976 not to make tax returns public. It is worth noting however, that there is no legal requirement to do so.
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Signing a recent tax return- isn't this ridiculous? pic.twitter.com/UdwqF4iZIZ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2016
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This announcement will only continue to add fuel to the fire of those looking to stir the pot, such as Mitt Romney. The candidate that has tried so many times to win the presidency that it's difficult to keep count said:
It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity of a candidate's representations regarding charities, priorities, wealth, tax conformance and conflicts of interest.
Further, while not a likely circumstance, the potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organizations or other unsavory groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander in chief.
Mr. Trump says he is being audited. So? There is nothing that prevents releasing tax returns that are being audited. Further, he could release returns for the years immediately prior to the years under audit. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns: There is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size.
That has to be it Mitt, keep looking into that.
Thus far, the only documents that Trump has released relating to his personal finances have been his personal financial disclosure.
While it is unorthodox to not release tax information, we're not really sure anything informative can be gleaned from the documents, other than perhaps Trump's effective tax rate and perhaps a more in depth look at the actual profitability of his businesses. Neither of which will impact the election, nor how Trump would govern.