Democrats looking for an issue on which to batter Donald Trump are concentrating on his refusal to release his tax returns and say it could cause the presumptive Republican candidate great harm in the election,
The Hill reports.
Rallying around this issue has great advantages, Democrats say, as it makes it look like Trump has something to hide, especially as he continues to dodge the issue and make excuses.
The Internal Revenue Service has repeatedly said that Trump's claim he has to wait for the audits on his returns to be finished is not true, as that does not prevent taxpayers from releasing the information and, in any case, does not pertain to the years before 2009, where the audits have been completed.
The Washington Post reports that among the last years in which his releases were public, 1978 and 1979, Trump actually paid no taxes due to certain loopholes.
The attacks against Trump on this issue are made even more pointed by the fact that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has released her returns for the past 30 years and no major party candidate has refused to do so in some four decades.
The topic resonates with many in the public since Trump proclaims himself to be an expert on the economy and has made his experience in the field a central part of his campaign.
By hammering away at the controversy, Trump sets himself up for mostly negative publicity and speculation about the reasons he refuses to do what other candidates have regularly done.
The Times Union emphasized in an editorial: "The public deserves to know how candidates conduct their financial affairs, whether they will have conflicts of interest once in office, what tax loopholes they are taking advantage of, and how their proposed tax policies would benefit them personally…
"To make an informed decision on Election Day, voters deserve to know everything they can about Trump's personal and professional business dealings."
Trumps' refusal to release the returns has also drawn criticism from Republicans, including 2012 GOP candidate Mitt Romney.
And the Democrats, The Hill reports, intend to continue pressing the issue in every way possible and keep it in the spotlight. One such technique is the introduction of a bill by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden to require presidential nominees to release their tax returns.