The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: mystery-ak on July 26, 2016, 09:44:25 pm
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http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=740618
George Will: Trump Won't Release Tax Returns Because They Show Russian Ties
Tuesday, July 26, 2016 04:28 PM
By: Theodore Bunker
Donald Trump refuses to release his tax returns because they might reveal that "he is deeply involved in dealing with Russia oligarchs," Fox News contributor George Will suggests.
The syndicated columnist has no tangible evidence to back up his claim, which he made on the network's "Special Report" live from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. According to The Hill, Will made the comment after Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, brought up the possibility that last week's leak of Democratic National Committee emails may have been perpetrated by Russian hackers with government ties. The leak led DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Clinton ally, to resign.
"Both the campaign chair and anybody you talk to, including Sen. (Chris) Murphy (D-Conn.) would not go down that road once pressed on the connection between Russia and the Trump campaign," said Fox anchor Bret Baier. "But they have thrown it out there. George?"
Will replied that "it's the sort of thing we might learn if we saw the candidate's tax returns," which Trump has resisted making public. "Perhaps one more reason why we're not seeing his tax returns — because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russian oligarchs and others. Whether that's good, bad or indifferent, it's probably the reasonable surmise."
Will announced in June that he had abandoned the Republican Party because of Trump's rhetoric. "I decided that, in fact, this was not my party anymore," the columnist said.
Other theories about why Trump refuses to release his tax returns, according to The Washington Post, include:
He has minimized his taxes. Trump legally avoided paying New Jersey taxes for two years in the 1970s by reporting negative income. Trump has been questioned multiple times on his claims of charitable donations that haven't shown up on official records, and on his personal wealth, which he estimates to be $10 billion but others put at far lower amounts.
Possibly he worries his returns would reveal links to organized crime, something former candidate Mitt Romney mentioned in a May Facebook post. Fellow former candidate Ted Cruz alluded to this theory in February in an appearance on "Meet the Press," saying "There have been multiple media reports about Donald's business dealings with the mob, with the Mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported."
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Well anyone can say anything about what type of disaster is in those tax returns and be 100% correct......because Donny won't release them. Worked out well the last time a candidate decided to not release them so why not shoot for the gold again.
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Trump won't release his tax returns because they show he's worth a lot less than he claims.
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Trump won't release his tax returns because they show he's worth a lot less than he claims.
Good bet.
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Good bet.
I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
Takes even less skill to be an ass****, as you have clearly demonstrated.
Income sources reveal a lot about someone's wealth.
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IMO, George Will deserves to be fired for not offering any evidence to back up his story. I'm no fan of Trump, but this is beyond the pale.
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
But they do reveal sources of income and charitable donations. Both of these would be areas of scrutiny. Trump is a cheapskate, and, in comparison to Romney (who is worth much less), he'd surely be revealed to be the skinflint he is.
Also, who knows who he's in bed with in terms of investments? Speculation is perfectly fine when Trump can resolve this easily.
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As everyone knows, Russian oligarchs always issue W2s when they pay people off. :silly:
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Trump refuses to release his tax returns because they might reveal that "he is deeply involved in dealing with Russia oligarchs," Fox News contributor George Will suggests.
The syndicated columnist has no tangible evidence to back up his claim, which he made on the network's "Special Report" live from the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. According to The Hill, Will made the comment after Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, brought up the possibility that last week's leak of Democratic National Committee emails may have been perpetrated by Russian hackers with government ties. The leak led DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Clinton ally, to resign.
"Both the campaign chair and anybody you talk to, including Sen. (Chris) Murphy (D-Conn.) would not go down that road once pressed on the connection between Russia and the Trump campaign," said Fox anchor Bret Baier. "But they have thrown it out there. George?"
Will replied that "it's the sort of thing we might learn if we saw the candidate's tax returns," which Trump has resisted making public. "Perhaps one more reason why we're not seeing his tax returns — because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russian oligarchs and others. Whether that's good, bad or indifferent, it's probably the reasonable surmise."
Will announced in June that he had abandoned the Republican Party because of Trump's rhetoric. "I decided that, in fact, this was not my party anymore," the columnist said.
Other theories about why Trump refuses to release his tax returns, according to The Washington Post, include:
He has minimized his taxes. Trump legally avoided paying New Jersey taxes for two years in the 1970s by reporting negative income. Trump has been questioned multiple times on his claims of charitable donations that haven't shown up on official records, and on his personal wealth, which he estimates to be $10 billion but others put at far lower amounts.
Possibly he worries his returns would reveal links to organized crime, something former candidate Mitt Romney mentioned in a May Facebook post. Fellow former candidate Ted Cruz alluded to this theory in February in an appearance on "Meet the Press," saying "There have been multiple media reports about Donald's business dealings with the mob, with the Mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported."
Great to see this site, keeping up the pressure, using democrat sources for the #nevertrump campaign.
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IMO, George Will deserves to be fired for not offering any evidence to back up his story. I'm no fan of Trump, but this is beyond the pale.
Why? It's legitimate to question Trump's investments, his income and his charitable contributions (or lack thereof). Trump could make Will look foolish very easily, but he doesn't want to do it?
Why?
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Great to see this site, keeping up the pressure, using democrat sources for the #nevertrump campaign.
To paraphrase Trump: George Will has a very good record of being right. I've always wondered why he doesn't get a Pulitzer. And after all Trump has done nothing to denounce this charge.
I'd say Trump brought this on himself by endorsing the National Enquirer. I sense sarcasm here.
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Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 29m29 minutes ago
For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.
David Burge @iowahawkblog 39s39 seconds ago
.@realDonaldTrump in Putin's portfolio, you're listed as a depreciating asset
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Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 29m29 minutes ago
For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.
Any loans?
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If Trump has nothing to hide, he should show his taxes returns..
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoVNdErUMAABNc6.jpg)
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Dovetails with this article: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-putin-russia-connections
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Great to see this site, keeping up the pressure, using democrat sources for the #nevertrump campaign.
You are going to be busier than a cat burying a turd on a frozen lake trying to defend the indefensible.
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But they do reveal sources of income and charitable donations. Both of these would be areas of scrutiny. Trump is a cheapskate, and, in comparison to Romney (who is worth much less), he'd surely be revealed to be the skinflint he is.
Also, who knows who he's in bed with in terms of investments? Speculation is perfectly fine when Trump can resolve this easily.
Should be part of vetting. People need to know what they are buying. You don't buy a business without looking at the books.
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
Maybe ... but it gives us some excellent hints.
What's your guess as to why he's keeping them hidden?
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Plausible
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David Burge @iowahawkblog 39s39 seconds ago
.@realDonaldTrump in Putin's portfolio, you're listed as a depreciating asset
:silly:
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Since you own the place, @mystery-ak , do you have the powers to post an actual tweet? This one is great; Trump provides insults, self-flattery, and patriotism all in under 140 characters. He's getting so good! (And there are no misspellings to boot!) Maybe he should tweet early a.m. more often?
Some of the commentary at the thread is hilarious!
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/758236300554174465
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 14m14 minutes ago
Funny how the failing @nytimes is pushing Dems narrative that Russia is working for me because Putin said "Trump is a genius." America 1st!
199 retweets 487 likes
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
It can show how much liquidity he's got. It can show whether he's really as charitable with his own money as he claims...and it will show if he is paying his "fair share" or not.
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Great to see this site, keeping up the pressure, using democrat sources for the #nevertrump campaign.
This from the same person that believes the whole Lyin Ted fictional meme.
**nononono*
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
No but it reveals income and sources. And based on that one can determine net worth for someone like Trump.
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All will be revealed when Clinton needs it.
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I guess it doesn't take a significant skill level in accounting to be a government bean counter.
A tax return does NOT reveal Net Worth.
As one who prepared tax returns for business entities, to include publicly traded corporations, I'll wager that I could determine Trump's net worth with no less than 80% accuracy. All of his business entities that are partnerships or LLC's are required to give him a K-1 that shows his income and equity, among other things.
I was also called on by my superiors at the FDIC to perform forensic analysis of those seeking to modify/restructure loans when their bank failed. Through my work, tens of millions of dollars were returned to the Deposit Insurance Fund that would otherwise have been lost.
As one who has been a "government bean counter", I take exception to your snark.
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Wait, I heard today, that Trump very specifically denied having any Russian business dealings.
Where there is smoke there is fire. And if what Will is saying is correct, things just got a hell of lot smokier.
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Great to see this site, keeping up the pressure, using democrat sources for the #nevertrump campaign.
George Will is a democrat? Keep up the good work. /s :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly:
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Wait, I heard today, that Trump very specifically denied having any Russian business dealings.
Where there is smoke there is fire. And if what Will is saying is correct, things just got a hell of lot smokier.
The media ceasefire is about to end for Trump.
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Wait, I heard today, that Trump very specifically denied having any Russian business dealings.
Where there is smoke there is fire. And if what Will is saying is correct, things just got a hell of lot smokier.
I heard on the radio, that during one of the GOP Primary debates, that Trump admitted doing business with Russia..
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Wait, I heard today, that Trump very specifically denied having any Russian business dealings.
Where there is smoke there is fire. And if what Will is saying is correct, things just got a hell of lot smokier.
Really, other than in 2013 he started negotiating for a building project in Moscow?
https://www.rt.com/business/trump-plan-skyscraper-russia-479/
Or Putin being Trump's personal guest to Miss Universe?
http://deadline.com/2013/10/nbc-news-lands-great-angle-as-msnbc-anchor-thomas-robert-signs-to-co-host-miss-u-pageant-in-russia-615072/
Or many, many more financial ties with Russia?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html
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Wait, I heard today, that Trump very specifically denied having any Russian business dealings.
Where there is smoke there is fire. And if what Will is saying is correct, things just got a hell of lot smokier.
"“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” Trump’s son, Donald Jr., told a real estate conference in 2008, according to an account posted on the website of eTurboNews, a trade publication. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html
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I heard on the radio, that during one of the GOP Primary debates, that Trump admitted doing business with Russia..
Hmmmmmm.....
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/)
"I don't know anything about it. I can tell you, I think if I came up with that, they'd say, 'Oh, it's a conspiracy theory,' it's ridiculous. I mean I have nothing to do with Russia. I don't have any jobs in Russia. I'm all over the world but we're not involved in Russia."
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"“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” Trump’s son, Donald Jr., told a real estate conference in 2008, according to an account posted on the website of eTurboNews, a trade publication. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-trumps-financial-ties-to-russia-and-his-unusual-flattery-of-vladimir-putin/2016/06/17/dbdcaac8-31a6-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html
Oh great. Now we get to discuss the meaning of "business dealings".
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Hmmmmmm.....
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/)
"I don't know anything about it. I can tell you, I think if I came up with that, they'd say, 'Oh, it's a conspiracy theory,' it's ridiculous. I mean I have nothing to do with Russia. I don't have any jobs in Russia. I'm all over the world but we're not involved in Russia."
It's rumored Sarah Palin can see his tax returns from her house..... :whistle:
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Hmmmmmm.....
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-denies-he-has-any-ties-to-russia/)
"I don't know anything about it. I can tell you, I think if I came up with that, they'd say, 'Oh, it's a conspiracy theory,' it's ridiculous. I mean I have nothing to do with Russia. I don't have any jobs in Russia. I'm all over the world but we're not involved in Russia."
Things are about to get real nasty for both Trump and Clinton camps and I'm real glad I'm just a spectator.
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Things are about to get real nasty for both Trump and Clinton camps and I'm real glad I'm just a spectator.
Yep, as time progresses, it appears that Trump is as much a serial liar as Clinton.
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It's rumored Sarah Palin can see his tax returns from her house..... :whistle:
BAM!!!
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Things are about to get real nasty for both Trump and Clinton camps and I'm real glad I'm just a spectator.
Even better knowing are spectators and that we were right. I hope Trump's supporters apologize better than candidate.
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Things are about to get real nasty for both Trump and Clinton camps and I'm real glad I'm just a spectator.
Word of the Day: Schadenfreude
(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/54524131.jpg)
BTW, I just checked TOS and...
(https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/47118041.jpg)
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George Will is a democrat? Keep up the good work. /s :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly: :silly:
Agreed, that's a strange argument to defend the Candidate who had registereted democrats speaking at the RNC.
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It should be pointed out that the headline misrepresents the content. Will did not say that the returns would show Russian ties - he said they might show Russian ties. That a rather critical distinction that the headline writer apparently ignored. Here's the actual quote from the story:
Will replied that "it's the sort of thing we might learn if we saw the candidate's tax returns," which Trump has resisted making public. "Perhaps one more reason why we're not seeing his tax returns — because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russian oligarchs and others. Whether that's good, bad or indifferent, it's probably the reasonable surmise."
Will isn't stating a fact -- he's offering a pure opinion that has somehow become the basis for "Trump is lying". He's muckracking/poop-stirring, etc., without any actual evidence.
There are plenty of well-vetted criticisms of Trump, including plenty of stupid things that have come out of his own mouth, that people shouldn't have to make-up/misrepresent facts to attack the guy.
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There are plenty of well-vetted criticisms of Trump, including plenty of stupid things that have come out of his own mouth, that people shouldn't have to make-up/misrepresent facts to attack the guy.
George Will is just counter punching. That's what Trump gets for attacking him. Sauce for the goose and all that jazz.
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And now the Tangerine nutcase is encouraging Russia to do more hacking.
Asking a foreign nation to commit acts of espionage against a political opponent.
Think about that.
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And now the Tangerine nutcase is encouraging Russia to do more hacking.
Asing a foreign nation to commit acts of espionage against a political opponent.
Think about that.
The bizzaro campaign marches on....
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The bizzaro campaign marches on....
Shades of Teddy Kennedy giving classified info to Russia to help him defeat Carter.
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George Will is just counter punching. That's what Trump gets for attacking him. Sauce for the goose and all that jazz.
I get that. My point is that the headline writer is twisting what he actually said, and some other folks seem to be considering that this is "evidence" about which Trump has "lied".
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I get that. My point is that the headline writer is twisting what he actually said, and some other folks seem to be considering that this is "evidence" about which Trump has "lied".
Yeah, the editor engaged in some truthful hyperbole there.
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Where Rush goes off the rails and into the swamp is in his reasoning. Even though it is true that Trump doesn't use email... in fact, we really don't even know if he can write... there is a great deal of evidence that the Russians own Trump in a way they could never hope to own Hillary Clinton. Since his wave of serial bankruptcies beginning in the 1980s, he has been kept afloat by cash from Russian investors. These investors can't be making those investments without the knowledge of Putin and this gives them leverage over Trump in a very real sense. If they pull his financing, virtually overnight he becomes a homeless wino yelling at tourists in Times Square. From a motivation point of view, wouldn't Putin rather have an ideological ally in the White House... that would be Trump who loathes NATO and American power as much as Putin... than someone he had to blackmail for cooperation?
http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/07/27/rush-limbaugh-diminishes-defending-donald-trump.-again.-full-audio/?utm_content=buffer32f34&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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As one who has been a "government bean counter", I take exception to your snark.
Don't take it personally. I don't think much of any government employees, except law enforcement and military.
When I worked in private enterprise Corporate America, we had visit from government auditors. Punching the clock. Going through the motions. Not risk takers. Not ambitious.
Trying to get building permits at city hall in a building department. Visiting the department of motor vehicles.
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Don't take it personally. I don't think much of any government employees, except law enforcement and military.
When I worked in private enterprise Corporate America, we had visit from government auditors. Punching the clock. Going through the motions. Not risk takers. Not ambitious.
Trying to get building permits at city hall in a building department. Visiting the department of motor vehicles.
888high58888 Great example. But don't worry, Trump will use that same government to make America great again.