Paul Ryan: Donald Trump Should Release Tax Returns

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he believes Donald Trump should release his tax returns, but did not press on the timing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

"I released mine. I think he should release his," Ryan said referring to his own tax returns when he was Mitt Romney's running-mate in 2012.

"I'll leave it to him when to do it."

Trump earlier said he would not release his returns until an Internal Revenue Service audit is complete, according to Politico.

"I know he is under an audit and he has got an opinion about when to release those. I'll defer to Donald Trump as to when he thinks the appropriate time to release his returns," Ryan said.

Trump has been widely criticized for not revealing his tax returns. All major U.S. presidential candidates in modern history have released their returns.

Clinton released her 2015 tax return in August. The Clintons paid an effective federal income-tax rate of 34 percent in 2015.

Mike Pence recently released 10 years of returns going back to the 2006 tax year.

• Trump: I'll Release Tax Returns When Clinton Hands Over 33,000 Emails
• Clinton Tax Returns: Hillary and Bill Clinton Earned $10.6M, Paid 34.2 Percent Tax Rate