Sen. Lindsey Graham Says Trump Should Release Tax Returns, Suggests Rival Should Do the Same

One of President Trump's closest allies in the Senate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, stated that President Donald Trump should release his tax returns, an issue that has been attached to the President since his campaign in 2015.

Releasing of tax returns

On September 17, Sen. Graham of South Carolina said in a press conference that he thinks everybody should release their tax returns, not just the President but also former Vice President Joe Biden, who is running against President Trump this November 2020 election.

Sen. Graham has sought to make financial disclosure an issue in his reelection by releasing 11 years of state and federal tax returns for press review and demanding that Jamie Harrison, his Democratic opponent, do the same.

Harrison has since released the details of several years of past tax returns. The State, a newspaper in South Carolina, reported that after asking both campaigns for candidate tax returns, Harrison's campaign let the newspaper review his returns from 2012 to 2018.

In response to a call from Sen. Graham for him to release his tax returns, Harrison wrote on Twitter on September 15, "Done. Now do President Trump."

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A recent poll from Quinnipiac University showed the two candidates tied with 48% of likely voters supporting Graham and 48% of voters supporting Harrison.

That follows a Quinnipiac poll in August 2020 that had the two candidates tied, with 44% each among registered voters. Harrison, a former state party chairman, has been outraising Graham, bringing in about $14 million in the second quarter compared to Sen. Graham, who raked in $8.4 million.

Sen. Graham downplayed the result of the new poll and projected confidence in the race. He said that he is leading, and he is taking it seriously.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the campaign arm for Senate Democrats, announced on September 17 that it is making a seven-figure investment in support of the Harrison campaign.

Harrison has continued to post strong fundraising numbers. On September 17, he announced that his campaign had raised more than $1 million in just 24 hours.

Helping with the campaign

President Trump is the first president in the modern era of the United States that has not released any personal tax returns, and it is something that Democrats and activists have been asking him to do for the past four years.

The President has claimed that he is under audit, and he won't release his tax returns because of it. His statement triggered a lengthy legal battle for his financial records.

This is also not the first time that Sen. Graham has indicated he believes President Trump should release his tax returns. He has previously said that everyone running for the White House in 2020 should release their tax returns.

The senator was asked if he wants President Trump to help him in the race; he said that they are doing well with the President, he wanted to show the people of South Carolina what he had done for the state. He was also asked if the President will campaign for him in South Carolina, he said he does not foresee it.