|
WickedsDesire -> RE: Video - Trump Patriots Clash With Soros Hate Mob (4/16/2017 8:11:53 AM)
|
January 18, 2012: Trump told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren that then-Republican candidate Mitt Romney should release his tax returns.
May 20, 2014: Trump said in an interview on Irish TV that he would "absolutely" release his tax returns if he decided to run for office:
February 25, 2015: Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt: "I would release tax returns," because, after all, "Nobody knows the tax return world better than me."
October 4, 2015: Trump said on This Week that he would release the returns when "we find out the true story on Hillary's emails."
January 24, 2016: Trump told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press that he would release the returns. When asked about the delay, he cited their size.
Well, we're working on that now. I have very big returns, as you know, and I have everything all approved and very beautiful and we'll be working that over in the next period of time, Chuck. Absolutely...This is not, like, a normal tax return.
February 10, 2016: Trump pledged to Matt Lauer to release them "probably over the next few months."
February 25, 2016: Trump introduced the audit argument after Mitt Romney challenged him to release his returns, and appeared to hint there was an IRS conspiracy against him. From Politico:
"As far as my return, I want to file it except for many years, I've been audited every year. Twelve years or something like that. Every year they audit me, audit me, audit me. I have friends that are very wealthy people" who never get audited, he said..."I will absolutely give my return but I'm being audited now for two or three [years' worth] now so I can't."
Fact-checkers, tax experts, and the IRS have repeatedly made it clear that there is no legal reason a person under audit could not release their tax returns. In fact, President Nixon—that paragon of virtue—released his tax returns while they were under audit.
March 30, 2016: The Trump campaign released a letter from his accountants attesting to the fact his tax returns since 2009 are under review by the IRS. They indicate this has been a regular occurrence since 2002 because of the complexity of his holdings—namely, the byzantine structure of the Trump Organization.
May 5, 2016: Trump said he also can't release his returns from 2002-2008, or from 1977-2002—all of which his accountants say are not under audit—because "they're all linked."
May 11, 2016: Trump said he didn't expect to release his returns before the November election, again citing the audit. He also claimed there's "nothing to learn from them."
May 13, 2016: Trump told George Stephanopoulos his tax rate is "none of your business" and that he "fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible."
July 27, 2016: Then-campaign chair Paul Manafort continued the audit line: "Mr. Trump has said that his taxes are under audit and he will not be releasing them."
July 28, 2016: Trump to Van Susteren: "I haven't had much pressure (to release tax returns). I'll be honest, most people don't care."
This was obviously false.
September 7, 2016: "When the audit is complete I will release my returns," Trump told Bill O'Reilly. "I have no problem with it. It doesn't matter." O'Reilly reminded him he could release while under audit, and Trump said, "Nobody would recommend that."
September 26, 2016: At a presidential debate, Trump promised: "I will release my tax returns, against my lawyer's wishes, when [Clinton] releases her 33,000 emails that have been deleted."
January 11, 2017: In his first press conference as president-elect, Trump claimed "you learn very little" from tax returns and that "the only one that cares about my tax returns are the reporters." (Again, this is false.) "I'm not releasing the tax returns because as you know, they're under audit."
January 22, 2017: Conway claimed the White House's position is it will not release the returns because nobody cares.
January 23, 2017: Conway returned to the audit excuse in a tweet:
How you like them apples hysterical snowflake
|
|
|
|
