Donald Trump Jr. discussed the page count of his father's tax returns, suggesting it would distract from issues facing Americans. | Getty Trump Jr.: Releasing tax returns 'would detract' from message

When it comes to why Donald Trump has not released his tax returns, the Republican nominee's eldest son suggested that it would be a distraction.

“Because 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 (his father's) main message," Donald Trump Jr. told Tribune-Review editors and reporters Wednesday.


Trump has offered a slightly different explanation for his refusal to release his tax returns to date, noting that his returns from years 2009 to present are still under audit from the Internal Revenue Service. Vice News filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against the IRS earlier this week demanding that the agency turn over Trump's tax returns since 2002.