House Speaker Paul Ryan says that he released his own tax returns when he was Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012. | AP Photo Ryan suggests Trump should release tax returns

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he believes Donald Trump should release his tax returns, gently suggesting that the GOP nominee ought to divulge his personal finances as Ryan did when he ran for vice president.

Ryan noted at his weekly press briefing that he released his own tax returns when he was Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012. Referring to Republican candidates for the White House now, he said, "I think we should release ours. I'll leave it to him when to do it."


"I'll defer to Donald Trump as to when he thinks the appropriate time to release his returns," Ryan (R-Wis.) also said. "I know he's under an audit, and he's got an opinion about when to release those. I'll defer to him on that."

Trump has been roundly criticized for not giving voters the traditional glimpse into his financial picture. Hillary Clinton has released her tax returns, and Mike Pence recently released 10 years of returns. Trump has said that he would not release his returns because he is under an audit by the Internal Revenue Service. He has also said voters don't care about his tax returns.

