Trump: Audit Preventing Release of Tax Returns

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said an ongoing audit of his taxes is preventing him from releasing his past tax returns.

"I want to release my tax returns but I can't release it while I'm under an audit," Trump said during Thursday night's GOP debate. "We're under a routine audit. Obviously if I'm being audited, I'm not going to release the return. As soon as the audit is done, I love it."

Trump objected to the fact that CNN moderator and radio host Hugh Hewitt did not ask other candidates about their returns. It spawned this exchange between the two:

Trump: "Are you going to ask anybody else that question? I know I'm here for the ratings but it's a little bit ridiculous."

Hewitt: "A year ago you told me on my radio show that you would release your tax returns."

Trump: "True."

Hewitt: "Are you going back on [that] commitment?"

Trump: "First of all, very few people listen to your radio show. Which happens to be true.

Check out the ratings."

Hewitt asked Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio when they are going to release their returns.

Rubio said he would Friday or Saturday.

"There's nothing what interesting in them," Rubio said. "I have no problem releasing them. Luckily I'm not being audited."

Cruz said he has released five years of returns and will release two more years on Friday.

"And I would note that this question really goes -- Donald says he's being audited," Cruz said. "I would think that would underscore the need to release those returns. If he has said

something that is false and that an audit is going to find is fraudulent, the voters need to know."

Trump said in lieu of releasing taxes he has filed a financial disclosure form of "almost 100 pages."
 

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