Trump releases Tax Returns???

[rgbecker]

Concerning Trumps release, or not, of his income tax returns. This could easily turn to another hard hit on Clinton’s tenuous lead as we approach election day. Trump has shown he has no ethics and a few dollars thrown towards one of his accountants could simply produce a faux return showing great levels of income, charitable contributions and tax payments. The IRS will not be confirming its authenticity nor will anyone else. The issue will disappear as an news item immediately and hopefully we can all concentrate on his illegal Cuba deals, Trump foundation shenanigans and “Temperament”. But he could easily own the tax return issue in the final weeks of the campaign.


Will he do it?

[Loki Liesmith]

1. Uh...no

[LexVegas]

2. Jesus. nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Clintons lead isn't tenuous

[MoonRiver]

4. Completely agree.

[Yonnie3]

5. Hard hit?

If t'Rump did this it would be amateurish, like the letter from his doctor.

There are so many issues with Mr. "Hubris" t'Rump that I doubt his tax returns would hit Clinton hard. He would yammer on about them, but it would not change many minds.

[rgbecker]

6. Is the release of Trump's returns even an issue for any on the DU?

So far, replies indicate it is not. Whether he releases or not is not even considered to have an effect on Clinton's standing.

Is Clinton's and press's push for release just lip service to a 40 year "Tradition". Does anyone even look at them?

[Yonnie3]

8. No, it's not lip service.

I am certain that his true returns will show him in a bad light. They will show he isn't all that rich, that he doesn't do charity and he pays little income tax.

I just don't share your concern.

[PJMcK]

7. Couldn't happen

Donald Trump's personal and business affairs are far too complicated to fabricate falsified tax returns. To pull off the scenario you've proposed, rgbecker, would require years of preparation and planning which are qualities we know Mr. Trump lacks. More importantly, any accountant who prepared such phony documents could be commiting professional suicide.

Your plan would be a terrific subplot in a fictional novel, though!

[MoonRiver]

9. If he falsified his tax returns, as you imply, my guess is that the feds would go after him.

They would not do it publically, but there would be consequences. One thing about Deplorable Don is that he desperately doesn't want to end up in jail. And, yes, it could happen.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I watched a very interesting interview last night on "The News Hour" concerning Trump

and taxes. I found this section to be especially interesting:

The second part is the 1984 tax trials, when he appealed his New York state and New York City audits, were about Donald claiming zero revenue for his consulting business and taking over $600,000 of deductions, for which he couldn’t produce any documentation, no receipts, no checks, nothing.

When shown a tax return that Donald Trump had been audited on — he appealed the audits — his tax guy said, well, that’s my signature, but I didn’t prepare that.

In fact, it was a photocopy. No one could find the original. Now, those two elements, zero income and huge deductions, combined with his own tax guy testifying under oath, that’s my signature, but I didn’t prepare that tax return, those are very strong badges of fraud.

And seen in the context of Trump having committed sales tax fraud in the past, which is indisputable, I think that it’s reasonable for the American public to ask, did you go beyond what’s lawful, maybe scandalously lawful, but lawful, and violate the law?

The full interview transcript here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/seeing-trumps-tax-returns-really-matters/