Trump’s son: Not releasing tax returns because scrutiny would be distraction

Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday defended his father’s decision not to release his tax returns, saying scrutiny of the documents would distract from Donald Trump’s campaign message.

{mosads}”He’s got a 12,000-page tax return that would create … financial auditors out of every person in the country, asking questions that would detract from [Trump’s] main message,” Trump Jr. said during a meeting with Tribune-Review editors and reporters.

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has faced criticism in the past for not releasing his tax returns. He has repeatedly pushed back against calls to release the documents, saying he is under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The IRS has said that nothing prevents Trump from releasing his tax returns.

Last month, Eric Trump said it would be “foolish” for his father to release the documents.

“You would have a bunch of people who know nothing about taxes trying to look through and trying to come up with assumptions on things they know nothing about,” he said.

“It would be foolish to do. I’m actually the biggest proponent of not doing it.”

Democrats have seized on Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has released her tax returns, has slammed Trump for his lack of transparency. And Clinton allies have suggested he could be hiding something that would hurt his campaign.