"Trump will take the Republic to the brink of a civil war if he has to now."

I hope not.  

Wouldn't it be easier to release his tax returns?  I mean, presidents have been doing it voluntarily for a long time now.  

The fact that Trump refuses to release his tax returns (though he said he would on the campaign trail) leads many people to believe he has something to hide.

I'm not sure Sessions is completely honest.  He met with the Russian ambassador twice after signing on as an advisor to the Trump campaign, but testified during his confirmation hearings that he had no contact with the Russians during the campaign.  If there is some mitigating circumstance, then full disclosure during confirmation was probably the honest option, don't you think?