Mark Sanford latest prominent Republican to distance from Trump

Republican Rep. Mark Sanford, who served as governor of South Carolina, suggests he could abandon his support for Donald Trump if the GOP presidential nominee fails to release his tax returns.

In an op-ed in Monday’s New York Times, Sanford describes himself as a conservative who has little patience for Trump’s personal style and “penchant for regularly demeaning others.” However, Sanford is backing the nominee because of the Supreme Court vacancy and the possibility that the next president could fill several openings.

Whether Sanford remains in the Trump camp is contingent on the nominee’s release of his tax records, he says.

Sanford writes that there is a precedent for such transparency. The congressman also points out that Trump had criticized 2012 nominee Mitt Romney for moving slowly in releasing his tax returns.

— AP