Talk about strange bedfellows! But this is what 2016 is doing. For instance, how can you not agree with Mitt Romney?
"It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity of a candidate's representations regarding charities, priorities, wealth, tax conformance, and conflicts of interest. Further, while not a likely circumstance, the potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organizations, or other unsavory groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander-in-chief."
"Mr. Trump says he is being audited. So? There is nothing that prevents releasing tax returns that are being audited. Further, he could release returns for the years immediately prior to the years under audit. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size."
"(Anticipating inquiries regarding my own tax release history, I released my 2010 tax returns in January of 2012 and I released my 2011 tax returns as soon as they were completed, in September of 2012.)"
https://www.facebook.com/mittromney/posts/10153487016861121
It is ironic, of course, for Mitt Romney to be the voice of reason on tax returns. But he did release more than Trump. What he released was not sufficient. But it was something. What Donald Trump is doing is worse than what Mitt Romney did as he's saying he won''t release them.
Romney didn't argue with the principle of releasing your tax returns at least.
Donald Trump's arrogant refusal to release his tax returns shows that he's' not running to be President of the United States at all. He's running to be dictator, an American Putin.
He talks about being unpredictable. But in a democracy demand transparency. You're not allowed to be unpredictable. That's the prerogative of dictators.
So Mitt Romney is right-Donald Trump is not eligible to be President if he won't release his tax returns before November.
Now Trump says his tax rate is nobody's business. This would be true-if he were not running for President of the United States.
But for him to say this while he's running is disqualifying. He shows that he doesn't recognize that this is a democratic system of government. Surely we don't have to even ask about the transparency of a Trump Administration. Even as a candidate he has none.
"Donald Trump is digging in his heels when it comes to his tax returns, stating on Friday that voters don’t have a right to see the documents before November and snapping back during an interview that his tax rate is “none of your business.”
"The presumptive Republican nominee has become increasingly combative about his tax returns, which he claims have been audited by the Internal Revenue Service each year since 2002."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YCeywQk
Why is he embarrassed about his tax rate? Is it very low? Lower than Mitt Romney's? Has he paid any taxes at all? Do we have to get Harry Reid on the case?
Why has he been audited every year since 2002? Is it because he engages in aggressive forms of tax avoidance?
"Trump remarked that while every presidential candidate has released his tax returns since 1976, he would continue to wait until after the IRS audit is completed."
"Stephanopoulos asked whether voters had a right to see his tax returns before making their decision in November."
"I don't think they do. But I do say this, I will really gladly give them -- not going to learn anything but it's under routine audit. When the audit ends I'm going to present them. That should be before the election. I hope it's before the election. But when the audit ends I've had even journalists say that, no, nobody should give until audits are over, I've had journalists say that," Trump said.
"When Stephanopoulos tried to get the billionaire candidate to reveal his tax rate, Trump bristled, saying it was "none of your business," adding that will be available when he releases the tax returns."
"The controversy over Trump’s reluctance to reveal his tax documents is shaping up to become a central issue in the forthcoming general election battle between Trump and Hillary Clinton."
"The former secretary of state – who has been dogged by her own transparency issues due to her exclusive use of a private email server during her time at Foggy Bottom – has seized on the tax issue as a way to portray Trump as a heartless tycoon."
She told an audience Wednesday in Blackwood, New Jersey, that his tax proposal is a plan "written by a billionaire for a billionaire” and laced into him for not releasing his own returns.
"My husband and I have released 33 years of tax returns, we've got eight years on our website right now. So you have got to ask yourself, why does he not release them?" Clinton asked.
"The larger Democratic Party is also getting in on the game."
The Democratic National Committee on Friday morning debuted a 99-second video hitting Trump's "hypocritical evolution on tax returns." The video features footage of Trump dating back to 1999, when he told Chris Matthews that he "probably would not have a problem" with releasing his tax returns should he decide to run for president. Trump is heard remarking in 2012 that Mitt Romney "was hurt very badly" by his initial withholding of his tax returns, noting that "everybody has done it for many, many, many years." The video jumps to 2015, when Trump told Hugh Hewitt he would have "no objection" to releasing the documents if he ran for president.
"A 2015 interview with Stephanopoulos is shown, in which the former Clinton aide and current ABC News personality asked Trump his current tax rate. Trump responded at the time, "I'm not going to say it, but at some point I'll release it."
"In Friday’s interview with Stephanopoulos, Trump mocked Hillary Clinton, whom he referred to as "Mrs. Clinton" for asking for his tax returns, referring to "all the missing emails that she's got" and the paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, the transcripts of which she has refused to release."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YDgPIgx
Wow. A few things:
1. We only know about her paid speeches because she released her tax returns.
2. He has his own much more lucrative paid speeches that she plans to ask him to release in exchange for her releasing her's.
"Very, very great hypocrite but as far as I'm concerned I want to give it as soon as possible, as soon as the audit ends, I'll give it, I've been under audit. Every year they audit me-- I have wealthy friends that never get audited," Trump said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YEIweDU
Exactly. Other wealthy friends of his don't get audited which shows that his being audited every year since 2002 is not just a function of his wealth. So why does the IRS audit him every year?
And the fact that he is being audited is not an excuse for not releasing them as Mitt Romney noted in the above quoted Facebook post. Mitt must be right: there must be quite a bombshell in them. This is a guy who's not embarrassed to admit much-not even David Duke's endorsement.
"Stephanopoulos noted that the audit is not an excuse, reminding him that President Richard Nixon released his taxes while they were under an audit and that Trump himself released his tax returns when seeking casino licenses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YFXXuuo
Less transparent than Nixon. That's a campaign slogan. As for Trump assuring us that there's nothing interesting to see in his tax returns, that doesn't pass the laugh test.
How does a billionaire who has been audited since 2002 not have interesting tax returns?
"When Trump said that voters would learn very little about him compared to what is already available on his financial statements, Stephanopoulos asked whether he held any foreign sources of income, as in offshore or Swiss bank accounts."
"I'll tell you right now, I do not. I don't have Swiss bank accounts," Trump said. "I don't have offshore -- I really have a very clean company and believe me, if I didn't, it would have been reported by 200 groups because there's nobody that has more reporting or more scrutiny than I have. I have given my financials, they're extraordinary. And we would have read if they weren't. But believe me when I released my financials, George and sent them down to federal elections, there was a feeding frenzy by the media and they reported, wow, that is a great company and I have built a great, great company and by the way, when you look at numbers, when you look at incomes, when you look at all of the things or most of the things you talked about, that's reported on the financials."
"The financial statements do not show tax rate, Stephanopoulos said."
"I try to pay as little tax as possible and I've said that for the last two years, I fight very hard because this country wastes our money," Trump said. "They take our tax money and throw it down the drain. They spend $4 trillion in the Middle East and we can't fix a road or a bridge and I fight very hard. I consider it an expense because, frankly, our country doesn't know what they're doing with our money or tax money and that's part of the problem so I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YJYzpFB
So you are a tax cheat and you think this is a selling point for American voters?
It's clear that Trump's tax returns are going to be the gift that keeps giving every day through November one way or the other.
"It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity of a candidate's representations regarding charities, priorities, wealth, tax conformance, and conflicts of interest. Further, while not a likely circumstance, the potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organizations, or other unsavory groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander-in-chief."
"Mr. Trump says he is being audited. So? There is nothing that prevents releasing tax returns that are being audited. Further, he could release returns for the years immediately prior to the years under audit. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size."
"(Anticipating inquiries regarding my own tax release history, I released my 2010 tax returns in January of 2012 and I released my 2011 tax returns as soon as they were completed, in September of 2012.)"
https://www.facebook.com/mittromney/posts/10153487016861121
It is ironic, of course, for Mitt Romney to be the voice of reason on tax returns. But he did release more than Trump. What he released was not sufficient. But it was something. What Donald Trump is doing is worse than what Mitt Romney did as he's saying he won''t release them.
Romney didn't argue with the principle of releasing your tax returns at least.
Donald Trump's arrogant refusal to release his tax returns shows that he's' not running to be President of the United States at all. He's running to be dictator, an American Putin.
He talks about being unpredictable. But in a democracy demand transparency. You're not allowed to be unpredictable. That's the prerogative of dictators.
So Mitt Romney is right-Donald Trump is not eligible to be President if he won't release his tax returns before November.
Now Trump says his tax rate is nobody's business. This would be true-if he were not running for President of the United States.
But for him to say this while he's running is disqualifying. He shows that he doesn't recognize that this is a democratic system of government. Surely we don't have to even ask about the transparency of a Trump Administration. Even as a candidate he has none.
"Donald Trump is digging in his heels when it comes to his tax returns, stating on Friday that voters don’t have a right to see the documents before November and snapping back during an interview that his tax rate is “none of your business.”
"The presumptive Republican nominee has become increasingly combative about his tax returns, which he claims have been audited by the Internal Revenue Service each year since 2002."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YCeywQk
Why is he embarrassed about his tax rate? Is it very low? Lower than Mitt Romney's? Has he paid any taxes at all? Do we have to get Harry Reid on the case?
Why has he been audited every year since 2002? Is it because he engages in aggressive forms of tax avoidance?
"Trump remarked that while every presidential candidate has released his tax returns since 1976, he would continue to wait until after the IRS audit is completed."
"Stephanopoulos asked whether voters had a right to see his tax returns before making their decision in November."
"I don't think they do. But I do say this, I will really gladly give them -- not going to learn anything but it's under routine audit. When the audit ends I'm going to present them. That should be before the election. I hope it's before the election. But when the audit ends I've had even journalists say that, no, nobody should give until audits are over, I've had journalists say that," Trump said.
"When Stephanopoulos tried to get the billionaire candidate to reveal his tax rate, Trump bristled, saying it was "none of your business," adding that will be available when he releases the tax returns."
"The controversy over Trump’s reluctance to reveal his tax documents is shaping up to become a central issue in the forthcoming general election battle between Trump and Hillary Clinton."
"The former secretary of state – who has been dogged by her own transparency issues due to her exclusive use of a private email server during her time at Foggy Bottom – has seized on the tax issue as a way to portray Trump as a heartless tycoon."
She told an audience Wednesday in Blackwood, New Jersey, that his tax proposal is a plan "written by a billionaire for a billionaire” and laced into him for not releasing his own returns.
"My husband and I have released 33 years of tax returns, we've got eight years on our website right now. So you have got to ask yourself, why does he not release them?" Clinton asked.
"The larger Democratic Party is also getting in on the game."
The Democratic National Committee on Friday morning debuted a 99-second video hitting Trump's "hypocritical evolution on tax returns." The video features footage of Trump dating back to 1999, when he told Chris Matthews that he "probably would not have a problem" with releasing his tax returns should he decide to run for president. Trump is heard remarking in 2012 that Mitt Romney "was hurt very badly" by his initial withholding of his tax returns, noting that "everybody has done it for many, many, many years." The video jumps to 2015, when Trump told Hugh Hewitt he would have "no objection" to releasing the documents if he ran for president.
"A 2015 interview with Stephanopoulos is shown, in which the former Clinton aide and current ABC News personality asked Trump his current tax rate. Trump responded at the time, "I'm not going to say it, but at some point I'll release it."
"In Friday’s interview with Stephanopoulos, Trump mocked Hillary Clinton, whom he referred to as "Mrs. Clinton" for asking for his tax returns, referring to "all the missing emails that she's got" and the paid speeches to Goldman Sachs, the transcripts of which she has refused to release."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YDgPIgx
Wow. A few things:
1. We only know about her paid speeches because she released her tax returns.
2. He has his own much more lucrative paid speeches that she plans to ask him to release in exchange for her releasing her's.
"Very, very great hypocrite but as far as I'm concerned I want to give it as soon as possible, as soon as the audit ends, I'll give it, I've been under audit. Every year they audit me-- I have wealthy friends that never get audited," Trump said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YEIweDU
Exactly. Other wealthy friends of his don't get audited which shows that his being audited every year since 2002 is not just a function of his wealth. So why does the IRS audit him every year?
And the fact that he is being audited is not an excuse for not releasing them as Mitt Romney noted in the above quoted Facebook post. Mitt must be right: there must be quite a bombshell in them. This is a guy who's not embarrassed to admit much-not even David Duke's endorsement.
"Stephanopoulos noted that the audit is not an excuse, reminding him that President Richard Nixon released his taxes while they were under an audit and that Trump himself released his tax returns when seeking casino licenses in New Jersey and Pennsylvania."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YFXXuuo
Less transparent than Nixon. That's a campaign slogan. As for Trump assuring us that there's nothing interesting to see in his tax returns, that doesn't pass the laugh test.
How does a billionaire who has been audited since 2002 not have interesting tax returns?
"When Trump said that voters would learn very little about him compared to what is already available on his financial statements, Stephanopoulos asked whether he held any foreign sources of income, as in offshore or Swiss bank accounts."
"I'll tell you right now, I do not. I don't have Swiss bank accounts," Trump said. "I don't have offshore -- I really have a very clean company and believe me, if I didn't, it would have been reported by 200 groups because there's nobody that has more reporting or more scrutiny than I have. I have given my financials, they're extraordinary. And we would have read if they weren't. But believe me when I released my financials, George and sent them down to federal elections, there was a feeding frenzy by the media and they reported, wow, that is a great company and I have built a great, great company and by the way, when you look at numbers, when you look at incomes, when you look at all of the things or most of the things you talked about, that's reported on the financials."
"The financial statements do not show tax rate, Stephanopoulos said."
"I try to pay as little tax as possible and I've said that for the last two years, I fight very hard because this country wastes our money," Trump said. "They take our tax money and throw it down the drain. They spend $4 trillion in the Middle East and we can't fix a road or a bridge and I fight very hard. I consider it an expense because, frankly, our country doesn't know what they're doing with our money or tax money and that's part of the problem so I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible."
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/trump-tax-rate-223156#ixzz48YJYzpFB
So you are a tax cheat and you think this is a selling point for American voters?
It's clear that Trump's tax returns are going to be the gift that keeps giving every day through November one way or the other.
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