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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThere is "Incredibly Strong Evidence Trump Committed Tax Fraud"
Oh, please let this be true.
For months, presumptive Republican presidential nominee has refused to release his tax returns. We speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston about what he may be hiding. His latest piece in The Daily Beast is headlined "New Evidence Donald Trump Didnt Pay Taxes."
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: Were going to turn now to one of your former colleagues. Were going to turn to a new exposé in The Daily Beast headlined "New Evidence Donald Trump Didnt Pay Taxes," the article published as Trump is refusing to release his tax records. Joining us from Rochester, New York City [sic], is the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Cay Johnston. He used to work at The New York Times, now reporting for The Daily Beast and other publications. David, what did you find?
DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, Donald has done a very good job of trying to keep a number of things out of the public record and shut down investigations, but I found two tax appeals he filed from the year 1984, one with the City of New York and one with the state. And in one of these two cases, Donald filed something called a Schedule C. Thats what a freelancer files. He reported zero income and $626,000 of expenses, with no receipts and no documentation. Thats something that could be construed as tax fraud.
During the hearing, which lasted two days, the CPA and lawyer who had done Trumps tax returns for years was shown the tax return, and he said, "Well, thats my signature, but I didnt prepare that tax return." Now, it was a photocopy. And, of course, you can put a name on a document with a photocopy machine. My first big national investigative reporting award was for just such a device used by a corrupt Michigan politician. And The Trump Organization didnt respond to any of my questionsthe Trump campaignabout this. Donald was hit in one case with a 35 percent penalty. And in the other case, the 25 percent penalty was not applied, only because nobody could find the original tax return, which I think suggests that a photocopy is what was mailed in in the first place.
It also shows, in these two cases, that in the year 1984 Donald paid no federal income taxes. And theres very good reason to think he doesnt pay them now, because of a provision in federal law that allows large real estate professionals to live without paying income taxes.
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read:http://www.democracynow.org/2016/6/16/david_cay_johnston_there_is_incredibly
Siwsan
(26,178 posts)I've long said there is probably a chorus line of skeletons in this guy's financial closet.
renate
(13,776 posts)If he illegally didn't pay taxes (rather than using loopholes), the RNC would have a very good excuse for picking someone else at the convention.
I think the danger of having a President Trump has passed (thank goodness) but an emboldened RNC might mean a President Cruz. Sure the establishment hate him too, but he got the next largest number of votes, I think? --so that wouldn't cause much of a stir among the lunatic right.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Anything over 7 or 10 years is a goner.
auntpurl
(4,311 posts)What a treasure.