Debate fact check: Trump on his tax returns

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Washington • A claim from the presidential debate and how it stacks up with the facts:

TRUMP: "I've been under audit for almost 15 years."

THE FACTS: Donald Trump has never provided any evidence to the public that he is actually under audit. A letter released by his tax attorneys never used the word, merely describing his tax returns as under continuous examination. "Continuous examination" is not a formal term for any kind of action by the Internal Revenue Service.

Trump has declined to provide the IRS' formal notice of audit to The Associated Press and other news outlets. And former IRS officials have expressed skepticism that anyone would be audited so frequently.