Sen. Chris Murphy: Trump Tax Returns May Be Key to Russia Ties

President Donald Trump's tax returns, which he has never disclosed, could be the key to explaining the president's ties to Russia, Sen. Chris Murphy said on Wednesday.

"Increasingly, it's clear that there is some alternative explanation for this bizarre positioning, this softness on Russia, this permission slip that Trump has given Russia to act in ways they have not acted in the last 20 years," the Connecticut Democrat told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.

"Either the Russians have something on Trump, or that there are financial ties that are requiring Trump to behave in this way, or perhaps that the Russians helped him in the election and this is sort of a quid pro quo," he added. 

"There doesn't seem to be any sort of normal course of international relations explanation for this, and that is why the Senate committee has got to be given the power to go after the ultimate reason for this bizarre positioning on Russia," Murphy said.

Gaining a subpoena for Trump's tax records is "fully within the power of the U.S. Congress."

On Tuesday night, Murphy tweeted:

Your nightly reminder that at the center of this strengthening hurricane are the tax returns.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 15, 2017

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