The Democratic Party just called Trump's tax audit claim a 'sham'

The Democratic Party threw several darts at President Donald Trump on Tuesday after some pages of his 2005 federal tax return were posted online and announced by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

The Democratic National Committee said in a statement that the release "torpedoes" Trump's original reason for refusing to publish his tax returns - that he was unable to do so because of an ongoing audit.

"The White House's willingness to release some tax information when it suits them proves Donald Trump's audit excuse is a sham," the statement from the party's senior adviser Zac Petkanas said. "If they can release some of the information, they can release all of the information. The only reason not to release tax returns is to hide what's in them such as financial connections to Russian oligarchs and the Kremlin," the statement continued.

Trump has previously denied having any financial ties to Russia.

Democrats and Republicans have been fiercely critical of Trump for bucking decades-old traditions in presidential politics in choosing not to publish a complete accounting of his tax history. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, suggested that Trump may have something to hide. Mitt Romney, the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nominee, said there may be a "bombshell" somewhere in Trump's tax filings.