Trump's Tax Returns

[JimL]

Trump is one of the very few presidents in the last 50 years to NOT make his tax returns public. It matters not to his base, who consider it a non-issue. But it matters a great deal to those NOT in his base. And now this. I had no idea this law existed but, apparently, if the Dems take the house in November, they can invoke a law that will give them access to Trump's returns. Impeachment is a ridiculous course. But exposing Trump's tax returns?

There HAS to be a reason he did not want them shared....

This could be VERY good for 2020.

....OR....

Trump could be EXTREMELY crafty, letting the left create all sorts of nefarious "what's in there" speculations and, when the tax returns are actually revealed, there's nothing there.


Could it be...?


Somehow, I don't see this man having THAT much intelligence....

Of course there are reasons for hiding his returns, otherwise he would have shown them by now like he promised to do. But again, he knows his constituency well, and he knows that his constituency will stick with him even should he shoot someone on fifth ave in broad daylight, so why should he reveal his corruption to the rest of us.

[Mountain Man]

If there's nothing in them worth talking about, why didn't he just release them like previous presidents and stop all the talking about the fact he didn't release them?

Because Trump loves tweaking the noses of those who oppose him.

Besides, he released a 90+ page financial disclosure form when he announced his candidacy and which contains far more information than you'll find in a tax return, and it was a 1-day story because there was nothing controversial in it.

[Terraceth]

I actually haven't heard anything about his tax returns for MONTHS until Carpe brought it up.

I meant at the time.

[rogue06]

Possibly.

I think it is far more likely that the man has been making extensive use of the loopholes created for real-estate, and he doesn't want that shown. At the end of the day, I suspect he has paid little or no taxes for the last decade, which he knows will not go down well with many. I'm sure most of it is perfectly legal; the tax code favors those with money. But politically... a significant problem. And if Democrats gain the house and can leverage this law...I think Trump will be toast in 2020.

Very possibly. Nearly everyone makes use of whatever tax deductions that are legally available to them. Probably the only exception are professional politicians who worry about optics and often overpay just a bit to be on the safe side. Of course there are notorious exceptions with tax cheats like Tim Geithner, President (Obama's Treasury Secretary), Charles Rangel (D-NY: while chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee), Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD: who had to withdraw his nomination as Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services), Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and just to show they aren't all Democrats, Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Duke Cunningham (R-Calif). And while not illegal but incredibly bad optics, the Clinton's deducting money for used underwear they donated to charity (most experts said the underwear new was less than what they claimed as a deduction).

[carpedm9587]

If there was anything in Trump's tax returns worth talking about then Obama's IRS would have leaked it.

Right... that pretty much earns an

I am constantly amazed by people who make unsubstantiated, and unprovable, assertions and then treat them as if they are matters of fact. Usually, they are not much more than political/religious self-stimulation.

[carpedm9587]

Very possibly. Nearly everyone makes use of whatever tax deductions that are legally available to them. Probably the only exception are professional politicians who worry about optics and often overpay just a bit to be on the safe side. Of course there are notorious exceptions with tax cheats like Tim Geithner, President (Obama's Treasury Secretary), Charles Rangel (D-NY: while chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee), Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD: who had to withdraw his nomination as Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services), Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and just to show they aren't all Democrats, Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Duke Cunningham (R-Calif). And while not illegal but incredibly bad optics, the Clinton's deducting money for used underwear they donated to charity (most experts said the underwear new was less than what they claimed as a deduction).

Yeah - but those underwear touched a Clinton butt. That makes them priceless.

[rogue06]

Yeah - but those underwear touched a Clinton butt. That makes them priceless.

So did half the women in the D.C. press corp.

[carpedm9587]

So did half the women in the D.C. press corp.

[Mountain Man]

Right... that pretty much earns an

I am constantly amazed by people who make unsubstantiated, and unprovable, assertions and then treat them as if they are matters of fact. Usually, they are not much more than political/religious self-stimulation.

So in a thread that invites speculation, you get on my case for speculating.

Right... that pretty much earns an

[carpedm9587]

This is Trump we're talking about - you know, juvenile, contrarian.... Could it possibly be that he hasn't released them simply because people demanded them and he didn't have to?

Absolutely possible.

It doesn't seem particularly probably to me. It seems far more likely that they could be used to make political hay.

[carpedm9587]

So in a thread that invites speculation, you get on my case for speculating.

Right... that pretty much earns an

Your statement was not "speculation" MM. It wasn't, "I think it's likely that...X." It was stated as an absolute: if they contained X they would have been leaked.

[Mountain Man]

Your statement was not "speculation" MM. It wasn't, "I think it's likely that...X." It was stated as an absolute: if they contained X they would have been leaked.

If

[carpedm9587]

If

Would...

In other words - logically - since they were NOT leaked, they don't contain X.

Which you cannot know...

[rogue06]

Absolutely possible.

It doesn't seem particularly probably to me. It seems far more likely that they could be used to make political hay.

One possibility that was floated about a great deal during the election is that they might reveal that Trump wasn't as rich as he claimed which would hurt him since his being a successful businessman was his primary qualification.

[Mountain Man]

Would...

In other words - logically - since they were NOT leaked, they don't contain X.

Which you cannot know...

You're right, I can't know, which would make my comment... what?

I'll give you hint: It starts with an "s".