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Donald Trump 2016 Presidential Campaign

Trump: Am I being audited because I'm a Christian?

David M Jackson
USA TODAY

HOUSTON — Donald Trump says he hasn't released tax returns because he's being audited — and claims he is being audited because of his faith.

"Well, maybe because of the fact that I'm a strong Christian, and I feel strongly about it, maybe there's a bias," Trump told CNN after Thursday's debate.

The New York businessman added that "you've had many religious groups complaining about it, they've been complaining about that for a long time."

Donald Trump in the spin room after Thursday's debate.

Trump isn't the only Republican who claims he's targeted by the IRS; Ben Carson said it began looking at his returns after he challenged President Obama's policies during a prayer breakfast speech.

The IRS has consistently denied targeting people for political or religious reasons.

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Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and other rivals criticized Trump for refusing to release his tax returns; critics like 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney have said that Trump is trying to hide something.

Romney went after Trump over his tax returns, and Trump got mad

Trump says he'll release tax returns after audit is complete

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