WASHINGTON — Two days before the make-or-break Super Tuesday presidential primaries, Sen. Ted Cruz went on the attack against Donald Trump, saying Sunday the GOP front-runner is "terrified" to release his taxes — because they'd reveal his ties to organized crime.
"There have been multiple media reports about Donald's business dealings with the mob, with the Mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported,"Cruz told "Meet the Press."
Host Chuck Todd called out the accusation, calling it "openly speculative" and asking, "Do you have any facts to support that Donald Trump has mob ties?"
Cruz cited media reports, saying, "ABC, CNN, multiple news reports have reported about his some dealings with, for example, S&A Construction, which was owned by 'Fat Tony' Salerno, who is a mobster who is in jail. It is owned by two of the major New York crime families. And that has been reported in multiple media outlets."
Cruz cited media reports, saying, "ABC, CNN, multiple news reports have reported about his some dealings with, for example, S&A Construction, which was owned by 'Fat Tony' Salerno, who is a mobster who is in jail. It is owned by two of the major New York crime families. And that has been reported in multiple media outlets."
In December, ABC reported that Trump claimed in a legal deposition not to know Felix Sater, a twice-convicted Russian émigré who had documented Mafia connections, despite Sater carrying a Trump organization business card as "senior advisor to Donald Trump" and playing a role in several Trump-branded projects.
CNN reported in July that Trump used the mob-controlled concrete company S&A to build Trump Plaza condos in Manhattan, citing the investigation of Wayne Barrett, a journalist who wrote an unauthorized biography of Trump.
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno, head of the Genovese crime family, and Paul Castellano, head of New York's Gambino family, controlled S&A, according to federal court records Barrett cited.
A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cruz and Marco Rubio released Saturday only summary pages of their most recent tax returns, but have released fuller filings previously for their Senate campaigns. It is a long-standing tradition for presidential candidates to release tax files. Trump has dragged his feet for months on releasing tax returns, offering a new excuse Thursday that he won't release them because he's under audit.
Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, speculated that Trump was hiding a "bombshell." Cruz repeated that claim Sunday and said the billionaire "seems terrified."
Cruz listed potential problems: Trump may not be as rich as Romney, Trump may have donated to Planned Parenthood or Trump has mob dealings.
"Now maybe his tax returns show that those business dealings [with the Mafia] are a lot more extensive than has been reported," Cruz said on "This Week."
He added: "The Republican primary voters deserve to know if there's a scandal."
Trump said Sunday he'd continue to withhold his tax filings, but he's open to releasing a letter from an attorney affirming the audit as well as a list of his charitable giving.
"Until the audit is completed, obviously I wouldn't show anything," Trump told "Face the Nation." "I'll show it as soon as it's completed, I have nothing to hide."
Trump refused to disavow the endorsement of former KKK grand wizard David Duke. "You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about," Trump told "State of the Union."
"I don't know anything about David Duke," Trump said. "I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists."
New York Post
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