Recent reports of Donald Trump's financial ties to Russian oligarchs aligned with Vladimir Putin, combined with his encouragement of the Russian government to spy on the United States, have brought renewed attention to Trump's failure to release his tax returns.
Since the start of his campaign, Trump has gotten a free pass at every level – from his own party and more importantly from the corporate media that has lavished him with free media and attention around the clock. That free pass has to end now.
Releasing tax returns is something that every presidential candidate has done for the past 40 years. Given his background, Trump's wealth and business dealings are the clearest view into his experience and fitness to be president, and now one of the clearest ways to understand if he has relationships or debt with Russian financial interests which could compromise the integrity of a Trump presidency.
