How Bernie Sanders Avoided Disclosing His Personal Finances

[kstewart33]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by mcar (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: NBC News

NBC News:

But when federal law required Sanders to reveal, by May 15, current details of his personal finances, his campaign lawyer asked the Federal Election Commission for a 45-day extension. Request granted.

On June 30, Sanders' campaign requested a second 45-day extension, saying the senator had "good cause" to delay because of his "current campaign schedule and officeholder duties."

Again, regulators said yes.

Now that Sanders' second extension has expired, spokesman Michael Briggs confirmed to the Center for Public Integrity that the senator won't file a presidential campaign personal financial disclosure after all.



Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-bernie-sanders-avoided-disclosing-his-personal-finances-n633081

[Fast Walker 52]

1. Hmmm, what's he hiding?

Weird.

[FighttheFuture]

15. Really? Sanders has been a treasure for the party and this country. He should keep this

out of the election lest any little thing that some ass doesn't like is blown up into a meaningless mountain to discredit all he stands for. Fuck those people to hell.

Really, look at what they tried to do when he bought a house from money he got from selling a house from inheritance. Look at what people have been doing to the Clintons for 25+ years on nothing, again and again. Bernie's smart to keep this out of the current election cycle so as to not distract from teh issues important to him, or Trumps craziness or Hillary.

[FigTree]

18. Being transparent one self is not a distraction from the issues you are putting forth.

It is their validation. Especially when these issues have everything to do with wealth and the way it is hidden and monopolized.

[FighttheFuture]

22. Riiight. Bernies a secret Koch cousin, worth billions! Putting this out at this point would just

used in some manner against Bernie, his beliefs and the Democrats and it would find some way of hurting Hillary.

It's akin to the argument those use to people who advocate for privacy by saying "If you've done nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide nor fear".

If you don't think so you have not been paying attention.

[FigTree]

26. I agree. There's no point now.

There was one before though, because when your whole strategy is one of honesty, systematically contrasted with the (real) shadiness of the others, it actually strengthens your case to be transparent. He didn't mind using the average contribution of his supporters for exactly that reason. And what if he's got even a few mils in the bank? Good for him.That certainly wouldn't stop me from voting for the old man, for the reasons you mention. I don't think it would stop anyone to vote for him.

[tazkcmo]

34. The primary

Is over. Turn your shit stirrer in.

[pnwmom]

21. You're using the same argument Trump would use to not release his tax returns: that someone

could misuse them to discredit him. He's already said that was why Romney wasn't elected President.

The problem with Bernie not releasing financial information, including multiple years of his complete tax returns, is that it gave support to Trump not releasing his either.

[FighttheFuture]

23. Only in the minds of pinheads trying to protect Trump. Trump IS the nominee and he could become

President. Very different from where Bernie is. Releasing them now would just create a manufactured distraction. Someone pouring over them finds some deduction Bernie may have missed, or jsut makes up shit out of thin air (happens all the time) and conflating that with Trump, Romney, Koch brothers, et. al. The media will find a frenzy and the ball starts rolling from there. Fuck that shit. Bernie's smart to not release his private financial information.

How else will he hide his ill-gotten billions!!!!

[pnwmom]

24. I'm not saying he should release them now. I'm saying that him not doing it

when he was still in the race -- especially since he was campaigning on transparency -- gives support to Trump not releasing them either.

[FighttheFuture]

25. Except Primary Candidate is very different from Party Nominee. It has no relevance. Also

Last edited Thu Aug 18, 2016, 03:25 PM - Edit history (1)

look when Bernie released his 2014 returns back in Arpil and the National Review raked him over the coals for that because he was dare taking deductions that he thinks should not be allowed!! The horror! Ridiculous.

[True Dough]

28. I agree!

We're quick to point out Trump's endless hypocrisy but this would be perceived as hypocrisy on the part of the Dems. Of course Bernie is not the nominee, so there is that argument, but he committed a number of times during the primary campaign to release his taxes and a failure to do so will be used against him and the party.

[Fast Walker 52]

27. Well, it's odd since he seems to have to do it for compliance

I'm not saying he's definitely hiding anything, but it raises suspicions. His finances can't be THAT complicated.

[IndieLindy]

33. Does it raise suspicions

Of all the other multiple candidates in both parites, who probably didn't get the nomination, and who probably didn't release any of their financial information either?

What possible reason whould anyone have for going after Bernie now?

[FighttheFuture]

37. Look what happened when in Arpil he released his 2014 returns. the National Puke Review raked

him over the coals and tried to create a shit ball for a totally legal and justifiable filing.

It is quite believable that they were not ready at an earlier point and once he did not win the nomination, very smart to not inject his returns into the election cycle now. You know assholes will work their hardest to make some issue of them. Again, look at the National Review berating him for not wearing his hair shirt. Fuck them.

[kacekwl]

2. ???????????????????? n/t

[jalan48]

3. Well, that does it, he needs to drop out of the Presidential race, ASAP!

[geek tragedy]

4. That does it, I'm voting for Hillary in November.

Seriously, the primary is over.

[BobbyDrake]

17. This isn't about the primary and you know it. It's about character and honesty, or lack thereof.

This is the Center for Public Integrity reporting on this, with a quote from the Sunlight Foundation included, not any kind of partisan outlets.

[tazkcmo]

35. Bull hockey.

Shit stirring is all this is. Stir, stir, stir.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Probably didn't see a need to disclose unless he won the nomination

non-disclosure is so oligarchical

[lark]

10. Don't relitigate the primaries.

Besides, I totally disagree. Still love Bernie and his ideals, so glad he took part and pushed the party where it needed to go - left. Having said that, I am gleefully voting for Hillary for president, think she will do a good job for us.

[tonedevil]

7. Great idea...

let's keep fighting the primary since there isn't a general election to concentrate on. It is really sad that an intelligent and gracious candidate has such small minded disagreeable supporters.

[Pluvious]

11. A post just like this about Hillary I made was censored

...by some anonymous coward, for "rehashing the the primaries."

And I came to accepting the reason, and agreeing with the intent.

This post here, is not helpful.
(And I'll not be the one to flag it, maybe its presence will serve a purpose)

[Roy Rolling]

12. Yep

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Let it rest, people, let it rest.

[LanternWaste]

31. Does the small-mindedness refer to a desire to deny valid and relevant news stories

"an intelligent and gracious candidate has such small minded disagreeable supporters..."

Does the small-mindedness refer to a desire to deny valid and relevant news stories, or merely to the perception that a valid and relevant news story is no more than a continuance of the primary conflicts?

[tonedevil]

32. There is no relevance...

to a story about someone who isn't running for President not making financial disclosure for the purpose of being vetted to run for President. The only purpose to doing that is to continue the primary fight against someone who is working with the Democratic candidate. Sore winners should learn to take yes for an answer.

[shraby]

8. I don't see this as pertinent news. Now trump's financial disclosure is a closed book because he

won't open it even though he has won his party's nomination and is receiving classified briefings. He shouldn't get those until he reveals his financial info.

What I meant was his tax returns.

[Cryptoad]

9. Somebody stirring the O ShitPot again

[FighttheFuture]

14. Fuck these whiners. Bernie should keep this private and out of the current election.

If he released them Assclowns will then pour over Bernie's returns to try to make a mountain out of nothing and discredit all he stands for. His supporters will then have to defend him, Democrats will split themselves, again, over nothing. In the meantime, whatever current Trumptastrophie, or what Hillary is trying to say in the few minutes a week the media deigns to permit, are ignored. Fuck that shit. Seen it before, do not need it now.

Really, look at what they tried to do when he bought a house from money he got from selling a house from inheritance. Look at what people have been doing to the Clintons for 25+ years on nothing, again and again. Bernie's being smart!! I hope people here are equally as smart.

[tammywammy]

16. So you can bypass federal law requiring disclosure by just getting extensions?

My question isn't about Sanders specifically, but that's a pretty fucked up process. What if a nominee just requested extension after extension and won the race. Would they then have to disclose? Or what if someone like Trump gets extension after extension and loses. Would he never have to disclose?

[msongs]

19. he is so busy out there campaigning for dems every day ..right? he can ignore this issue nt

[NurseJackie]

20. The "good cause" was that he likely knew how things were going to turn out. I guess he figured ...

... it would be a waste of time and and that it was unnecessary to give up so much privacy.

It's interesting to be able to look back on things and see whether our analysis at the time was on-target or if we'd totally missed the mark.

[Fast Walker 52]

29. what privacy? Supposedly he doesn't have much personal wealth

Hillary did it. I don't see the problem with Bernie doing it.

[FighttheFuture]

38. National Review had a problem with his 2014 returnsl. Bernie did not wear his hair shirt so

they tried to create a little RW shit snit. Fuck them. Bernie is very wise not to inject any distractions into the process at this point.

[Purveyor]

30. Fancy that. Posting bullshit and refighting the primary is all fine and good when it is about

Bernie but try and pull this shit with a Hillary trashing post.

Good job with all the 'unity talking' bullshit that was being spread a foot deep around this joint after the primary was called.

[Blue_Tires]

36. That's politics... I can't get mad at him...

But the Sanders folks who did nothing but wail about Hillary's, Bill's *AND* Chelsea's finances nonstop for nine months just got their faces smeared in shit...

And I imagine we'll see a lot less outrage...

[ALBliberal]

39. Maybe he also had an IRS extension and his return is extended until

Oct 15. As a CPA I know that gathering information for returns feels daunting for many people. His 2014 return was released and I would guess his 2015 return will probably be similar.