Trump: Am I being audited because I'm a Christian?
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."
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.
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Trump says he'll release tax returns after audit is complete