Why won't Donald Trump release his tax returns?
Crooked Donald
Why won't Donald Trump release his tax returns?
In his speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, vice presidential candidate and everyone's favorite dad Tim Kaine repeatedly dinged Republican nominee Donald Trump for his reliance on the phrase "believe me," when, in fact, he argued, absolutely no one should believe him. "It's gonna be great – believe me!" Kaine said to the convention crowd, imitating Trump to laughs and cheers. "We're gonna build a wall and make Mexico pay for it – believe me! There's nothing suspicious in my tax returns – believe me!"
That last one evoked the loudest whoops and applause by far. Kaine stayed with it: "By the way, does anyone here believe that Donald Trump's been paying his fair share of taxes? Do you believe he ought to release those tax returns like every other presidential candidate in modern history? Of course he should. Donald, what are you hiding?"
It's a fair question. Since the 1970s, presidential candidates have routinely released their tax returns. "This is something that was partly a reaction to Watergate and Richard Nixon, and the growing sense that we want transparency, that we want to know if our presidents are playing by the same rules as other Americans," says Matt Dallek, assistant professor of Political Management in the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University. While it's not required by law, it is an expected show of transparency, much like candidates releasing their health records. (For what it's worth, Trump's doctor said the candidate would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.") "This has become standard operating procedure," says Dallek.
But Trump isn't releasing his tax returns, at least not now and likely not before the election. His campaign manager Paul Manafort said as much Wednesday, telling CBS News, "Mr. Trump has said that his taxes are under audit and he will not be releasing them." The IRS, however – the federal agency that is conducting Trump's audit – has already said the audit is no roadblock: While the agency can't discuss Trump's tax returns, the candidate himself is free to go for it. "Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information," the IRS told the Huffington Post. There's even political precedent for it: Richard Nixon released his tax returns while under audit in 1973, though he wasn't running for office at the time.
What's more, his account of the audit itself only raises more questions. Trump claims to have been audited every year for the past 12 years, which according to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, would be "rare." If no issues occurred with the last audit, said Koskinen, “it’s a number of years – two or three at least – before you hear from us again.” And some people like Stuart Stevens, who was a key strategist on Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign, question whether the audit is happening at all:
In May, Trump said he would make his returns public once the audit is over, but his defensive tone suggests otherwise (as does his history of making and then promptly walking back many statements throughout his campaign). When asked if the American public had a right to see his tax returns, he said, "I don't think they do," telling ABC's George Stephanopoulos his tax rate was "none of your business." Harumph!
But for someone who loves winning – and winning bigly – it seems not just silly but complete self-sabotage to pass up such an easy victory. And Trump should know: He repeatedly raised questions about President Barack Obama's birthplace; when the president released his birth certificate in April 2011, Trump was confirmed as a crank and famously seethed under Obama's ridicule over it at the White House Correspondents Dinner. If there is nothing to hide, Trump wins. In fact, he wins-wins-wins.
For one, he could cut off a strong line of attack by Democrats. Hillary Clinton has already released her tax returns, going back to 1977. She and her camp now hold the advantage and can continue haranguing Trump for his lack of transparency, painting him as a crook and a liar, while Trump has no real counterattack. Not releasing the returns, says Dallek, "makes it less easy for [Trump] to attack Hillary Clinton for taking money from Goldman Sachs," a charge he's used to depict Clinton as crooked and beholden to Wall Street. If he releases his returns, Trump could better position himself to go on offense.
Why Won't Donald Trump Release His Tax Returns? | US News Opinion
