Phil Ruffin says he advised Trump not to release tax returns

President Donald Trump has no intention of releasing his tax returns, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Wednesday.

His decision has the backing of Phil Ruffin, the Wichita businessman who has known Trump for years.

“I advised him not to,” Ruffin told the Associated Press. “It’s a waste of time, and he’ll spend years explaining them and never get to accomplishing any of his goals.”

Ruffin said he told the president that Democrats would hire “armies of accountants” to pore over the documents and “make an issue out of any and everything.”

Trump is the first president in the modern era not to release his tax returns. Trump has suggested he would share the tax documents only after the Internal Revenue Service completes an audit of them. He has not shown that there is an audit.

Mnuchin appeared to close the door completely Wednesday.

“The president has no intention. The president has released plenty of information and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else. I think the American population has plenty of information,” he said, inaccurately characterizing the president’s disclosures.

The comment came as the secretary briefed reporters on the president’s new proposal to overhaul taxes. Democrats have sought to use the tax debate to pressure Trump to release his returns, arguing the information is necessary to evaluate how Trump’s tax proposals would affect his personal wealth and his business’ bottom line.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Phil Ruffin says he advised Trump not to release tax returns."