Paul Manafort, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump ‘s campaign chief, confirmed Wednesday the candidate is opting against releasing his tax returns this election cycle.

During an appearance on CBS This Morning, the top aide said the IRS audit being conducted on the candidate is the only reason they aren’t being made public.

Critics have alleged he isn’t releasing the returns due to potential ties with Russian oligarchs. The allegations of Russian ties heated up Wednesday following the candidate’s remarks saying he hopes they are able to find Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 missing emails.

Democrats slammed Trump’s comments, accusing him of being disloyal to the United States by encouraging Russia to spy on his political opponent.

“It has nothing to do with Russia, it has nothing to do with any country other than the United States and his normal tax auditing process,” Manafort told host Nancy Cordes. “That’s what he said, that’s what I said. That’s obviously what our position is.”

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