By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke says his family donated more to charity than reported on past tax returns because it wasn't interested in taking deductions that could have reduced taxable income.

Speaking to reporters in Virginia on Wednesday, O'Rourke said, "We're trying to go back to some of these organizations" to see if they'll divulge "how much we have donated."

O'Rourke said that he and his wife, Amy, "Just didn't report it because it wasn't important for us to take the deduction." The ex-Texas congressman added that he never thought it'd be an issue because he didn't plan to run for president.

O'Rourke released 10 years of federal tax returns through 2017 on Monday. They showed him donating a relatively meager 0.7 percent of income during that period to charity.

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