Christie, Giuliani: If Trump didn’t pay taxes, he’s ‘genius’
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa.
WASHINGTON >> Donald Trump may or may not have paid federal income taxes for years after losing nearly $916 million. But if he did avoid paying taxes, he’s a “genius” at taking advantage of a loophole-ridden law, his supporters said Sunday.
Neither Chris Christie nor Rudy Giuliani disputed a report in the New York Times on Sunday saying Trump’s loss was big enough that he could legally have avoided paying taxes for 18 years. On “Fox News Sunday,” Christie declared the piece “a very, very good story for Donald Trump.” Giuliani called him an “absolute genius” on ABC’s “This Week.” And Trump himself weighed in, saying he was singularly qualified to fix a system he may have exploited.
“I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them,” Trump tweeted on Sunday, just five weeks ahead of the election.
Democrats said Trump’s nearly $916 million loss in one year pokes holes in his claim to be a champion for working, tax-paying Americans.
“He doesn’t care about those small businesses he didn’t pay. He doesn’t care about the people who lost millions of dollars in all of his bankruptcies,” Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said on “Fox News Sunday.” ”Those losses represent real pain to many people who never got paid.”
Even as the story was published, the candidate and his surrogates were engrossed in an effort to change the subject from his feud with 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado and his middle-of-the-night tweet storm on the subject. On Saturday night in Manheim, Pennsylvania, Trump questioned Hillary Clinton’s loyalty to her husband and imitated her near-faint on Sept. 11 after being diagnosed for pneumonia.
The New York Times report sheds light on some of the billionaire’s tax returns after Trump’s campaign refused to release any such documents, breaking with 40 years of presidential campaign tradition. Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years’ worth, and Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.
Trump has said his attorneys are advising him to keep his tax returns private until a government audit is completed. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told a House committee Sept. 21 that people under IRS audit are free to release their returns or IRS letters informing a person they’re being audited.
In a story published online late Saturday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump’s 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year.
That Trump was losing money during the early to mid-1990s — a period marked by bankruptcies and poor business decisions — was already well established. But the records obtained by the Times show losses of such a magnitude that they potentially allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for years, possibly until the end of the last decade.
His campaign said that Trump had paid “hundreds of millions” of dollars in other kinds of taxes over the years.
Trump’s allies defended him during appearances on the Sunday news shows.
Giuliani, former New York mayor, said Trump “had some failures and then he built an empire” and called the businessman “a genius at how to take advantage of legal remedies that can help your company survive and grow.”
“Don’t you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman, and the only thing she’s ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI checking out her emails,” Giuliani told ABC’s “This Week.”
In a separate interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Giuliani noted that “poor” people take advantage of similar “loopholes,” referring to the millions of Americans who aren’t required to pay federal income taxes each year because their incomes are too low.
Clinton’s primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who made wealth inequality a top campaign issue, said that assuming Trump’s tax strategy was legal, “what it tells you is you have a corrupt tax system which says to ordinary people, you’re supposed to pay your taxes. But if you’re a billionaire, there are all kinds of loopholes that you can utilize that enable you … not to pay anything in taxes.”
Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, used the Times story to needle Trump about not releasing his tax returns and contending during his first debate with Clinton that not paying federal income taxes would show he was “smart.”
Mook said in a statement Saturday: “Now that the gig is up, why doesn’t he go ahead and release his returns to show us all how ‘smart’ he really is?”
In its story, the Times said the three pages of documents were mailed last month to a Times reporter who had written about Trump’s finances. A postmark indicated they had been sent from New York City and the return address claimed the envelope had been sent from Trump Tower, the newspaper said.
Trump’s campaign did not directly address the authenticity of the excerpts from Trump’s tax filings. Former Trump accountant Jack Mitnick, whose name appears as Trump’s tax preparer of the filings, confirmed their authenticity, the newspaper reported.
131 responses to “Christie, Giuliani: If Trump didn’t pay taxes, he’s ‘genius’”
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Donald Trump did not write the tax code. People in congress write the tax code. People like Senator Hillary Clinton. That is, if they were concerned about it and competent.
There is no mention of any law broken by Mr. Trump. Does anyone really think that he could break IRS tax laws without penalty, especially when the Democrats pushed the IRS to pursue Republican taxpayers?
I’m not sure what you’ve been reading, but very well understood tax laws have been broken by Mr. Trump. His foundation is in hot water for using charitable money to buy gigantic portraits of himself, and sports memorabilia – along with other things that a foundation is prohibited from doing.
It might help to read a bit.
Perhaps you should read a bit more. Has Mr. Trump been found guilty of this? I assume you understand that people are innocent until proven guilty, or do you traffic entirely in innuendo?
DPK – Never mind. You don’t get it and don’t want to get it.
Perhaps you don’t grasp the difference.
We should examine both the Trump Foundation and Clinton Foundation in great detail.
bumbai – The Clinton Foundation distributes about one half off all HIV medication in developing countries worldwide. The Trump Foundation buys gigantic portraits of Donald Trump.
You decide.
DPK is right. Until you see a conviction for tax evasion, you have no grounds to speak about Trump’s tax forms. Period.
Don’t forget that Trump was taken to court by his state and the state won. Trump had to pay the state for taxes that he wrongfully did not pay. You can fact check that.
When you take a deduction and it’s either wrong or via planning, you pay a penalty–ithat does not make it legal, it was an illegal action–got it?
Klastri:
The two single largest “charitable” initiatives of the Clinton Foundation — by its own admission — are the Clinton Presidential Library, which exists solely to put a positive spin on the 42nd president’s term in office, and the Clinton Global Initiative, which the New York Times characterized as a “glitzy annual gathering of chief executives, heads of state, and celebrities.”
Only about 15% of money taken in my the Clinton Foundations leaks out as actual program grants, the rest is retained to directly benefit the Clintons.
This is bad enough, but eventually there will be irrefutable evidence that Clinton used the Foundation, and her position as Secretary of State, to harvest International contributions in return for specific, and general destructive, concessions from the people of the United States. For example.
1) Hillary’s State Dept approved the purchase by a Russian consortium of 20% of known US uranium deposits, and at the same time 8 of the 9 investors in that Russian consortium donated $145,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation, and Bill got a $million speaking fee.
2) While the US was trying to get the names of 300,000 Americans holding numbered Swiss bank accounts at UBS, Hillary’s State Dept lowered the figure to a few thousand names, while at the same time UBS made a $9 million donation/joint venture agreement with the Clinton Foundation and Bill got a $750,000 speaking fee from UBS.
3) Hillary’s State Dept approved major arms deals to several Middle East nations, while at the same time, Middle East governments and individuals donated $130,000,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
So, you condemn Trump’s Foundation for buying a portrait, but fully exonerate the Clintons for treacherously selling out this country for personal gain. So, when Hillary said all that money went of for AIDS, she probably meant her personal aides, like Huma.
IRT Klastri, nice try. I’m willing to wage even you use the existing tax codes to avoid paying more Federal taxes than you would. Since 1995, when Mr. Clinton was President, Mr. Trump has be audited by the IRS and received a clean bill of health. The Trump Foundation is not in “hot water” and if anything is out of line the attorneys, like you, will take care of it.
For most of us, who make most of our income via salary or wages, we actually small wiggle room on being too creative with the tax code. Now, when your income is mostly derived from investment and/dividend income, that picture is totally changed.
The true effective rate for the uber rich is actually far lower than that indicated by official government statistics. That’s because those figures fail to include the additional income that’s generated by many sophisticated tax-avoidance strategies. Several of those techniques involve some variation of complicated borrowings that never get repaid, netting the beneficiaries hundreds of millions in tax-free cash. From 2003 to 2008, for example, Los Angeles Dodgers owner and real estate developer Frank H. McCourt Jr. paid no federal or state regular income taxes, as stated in court records dug up by the Los Angeles Times. Developers such as McCourt, according to a declaration in his divorce proceeding, “typically fund their lifestyle through lines of credit and loan proceeds secured by their assets while paying little or no personal income taxes.” A spokesman for McCourt said he availed himself of a tax code provision at the time that permitted purchasers of sports franchises to defer income taxes.
Neither fair or equal..
ikefromeli, since you consider it neither fair or equal then perhaps you may want to lobby your legislators to change the tax code.
Well it was reported that the Trump foundation did not file the necessary paper work to be able to collect contributions. God only knows what else he hasn’t done.
As for the IRS pursuing republican tax payers, would love to see your link.
Trump uses the head of household with 2000 dependants or basted children from ” multiple” women. “I HAVE MULTIPLE WOMENNN, TO BID MY TIDINGS, NO, BELIEVE ME”!
no hon…not true
Anybody out there pay the IRS MORE than they are legally obligated to? I didn’t think so.
Most successful people do not go through six bankruptcies and that is the bottom line. I absolutely would not want the Chump handling my finances.
I don’t want your chump handling national security.
Bumbling agree wholeheartedly
Sorry bumbai didn’t bother to see the spellcheck
Anybody individual out there claim over $900m in losses?
Both Christie and Giuliani believe Trump is a genius. Well, they can be I clued amongst those who refuse to pay their share of taxes,with all their lobbied tax loop holes,while us idiots do pay our taxes
Both Christie and Giuliani are ld1ots.
No tax for veterans from billionaire trump,dang he’s a genus.
First of all, he’s not a genius. He in inherited his accountant/tax attorney from his father. Apparently Ivana had more interest in their tax returns that Donald. Second, Trump now has no standing to be president, having not made the most basic contribution to our nation. He’s a taker, pure and simple.
If Trump is so honest with his taxes, where are his tax returns from 1995 to date, those have already been audited, so he cannot make that flimsy excuse. Trump wants to Hillary’s email, I would really prefer to see how tans parent he is, by releasing all his tax returns for public scrutiny and transparency
The big mystery,and very important mystery, Trump’s Tax returns. He has a lot o things in it that would make Clinton’s emails just trivial. You want a secretive Trump as the leade(0r of the free world, then you are just as psychotic as he is
Clinton’s finished, lock her up. Classified emails are a major item and will be her downfall. Trump”s taxes are a non issue and a weak attempt to take the heat off lying crooked HiLIARy.. Wiki wiki has more to unveil and the FBI is in the spotlight
Whoever supports a candidate who’s been accused of anything—and ignores the facts, tries to NOT see the facts—is an ld1ot.
Why would you NOT want to see information? If anyone tries to close their eyes, doesn’t that make them an ld1ot? Are YOU and ld1ot?
When an accusation comes from a guy who believed in the “birther conspiracy”, all measure of competence and ability to digest the facts is nonexistent.
Wiki wiki and Snowden are sarge heros. He love commies.
HIS PICTURE SCREAMS,,,”LOOK HOW BIG MY FACE HOLE IS”.
So Trump wants to dramatically increase the military; increase spending on roads and bridges; increase spending on the VA (there are no plans for any of this of course – just his usual nonsense talk) yet he pays for none of it. Zero.
His campaign has been trying to defend him by saying that he pays sales tax and such, but anyone (except his supporters, of course) knows that none of that tax money goes to the federal system to pay for things he plans to spend money on.
It is still a surprise that he keeps putting his companies into bankruptcy and can’t pay his contract obligations?
Nothing wrong with taking advantages breaks in the tax code.
He’s has good tax accounts.
As previously mentioned above, he did NOT write the tax laws.
I take advantage of the rules in the tax code and thus reduce my taxes.
And… why shouldn’t I ???
Accountants
Keepers
Yes, Trump’s grand plan is to borrow trillions of dollars, put the USA in greater debt ($5.3 trillion was the last estimate)—then declare bankruptcy! That’s all this “genius” knows how to do.
The bigger question is how does one manage to generate nearly $1 billion in net losses? If Trump is a such a great business man how does he explain the losses?
Klastri, did Trump do anything illegal by following the tax codes? Most people who pay taxes look for every way possible to reduce their tax liabilities; it is the American way. Why are you opposed to people following the tax laws?
You really need to read more.
Mr. Trump did violate tax law – egregiously – with his foundation. He used restricted charitable funds to buy portraits of himself and sports objects. A clear violation of law. And he solicited money from others without being certified to do so. Without seeing his tax returns (obviously, why he’s withholding them now) no forensic accountants have the opportunity to look for violations of law. The only reason we know about his foundations tax law violations is because the IRS is compelled to release the returns. The law protects privacy of personal returns.
He’s probably lying – like he lies about everything else – and figures the damage caused by not disclosing anything is less than the damage that would be caused by disclosure.
But can’t a similar claim be made that we don’t know if Clinton broke the law unless we see those missing 30,000 emails? We don’t know if Trump broke any laws without the tax returns. All conjecture by both sides.
hipatriot, why are you so willing to do away with tradition? Tax returns have been released by presidential candidates for decades and now the Donald won’t release his. Obviously he doesn’t want people to know something. Now what could it be?
As for Hillary’s emails, I don’t believe anything is there. If she released them, you on the far right will always claim there are additional emails that were not released. I don’t think you have the tradition of presidential candidates releasing all their correspondence like their tax returns.
But you need to remember kiastri that Its ok if you are republican. lol
They break the laws all the time.
Of course the Donald is lying. That is part of his nature.
hipatriot808 – What does a discussion about tax law have to do with Mrs. Clinton’s emails? The correct answer is nothing – obviously – and you’re bringing it up to change the subject.
Klastri, what does alleged violations of foundation laws have to do with personal income tax laws? The correct answer is nothing – absolutely nothing – and you are bringing it up to change the subject. OMG, Klastri will now accuse me of plagiarizing his comments.
IRT HiPatriot808, we do know that Mr. Trump has not broken any laws with or without his tax returns. Hawaii born President Obama’s IRS has been and is auditing his tax returns for the past 20 years and provides Mr. Trump a clean bill of health. We must follow the conclusions of the IRS. But, on Ms Hillary’s erased 30,000+ emails, ahh, it’s a completely different situation.
Klastri: have you ever tried to build your own business? It’s apparent that you have a limited grasp of such an endeavor.
I started, grew and run my own business. You have no idea what you’re talking about. None, as usual.
Grew and run it? Great grammar.
DPK – I’m an attorney and I choose my words carefully. That grammar is correct.
I grew and run my own business. I stand by those words, syntax and grammar. Learn something today, OK? It might help.
Scrambling tense are we?
..and I am Napoleon , klastri.
I wonder if you also treat your clients so rudely. You are clearly a very unhappy person. You do little more than spout off criticism and rude,obnoxious remarks to posters that do not adhere to your political ideology. Misery is often lonely and absolutely loves company right.
Hey Klas, what type of fertilizer did you use to grow your business? Bull manure.
DPK, you’re embarrassing yourself. Try reading for understanding.
DPK, even for a guy like me who grew up in public housing and exclusively went to public school, I suggest you review the usuage of action and linking verbs.
Trump obviously has no clue on such endeavors.
Unfortunately it’s how one sees it. If it is all about gaming or cheating the system for one’s own personal gain and forget about your legal obligation to help your country through paying your fair share of taxes, then Trump is a genius. If one does have a moral compass, than Trump has absolutely been the ultimate villain. Trump has been caught in the eyes of the law for cheating his state of taxes that went unpaid. The state took him to court and won. Trump had to pay a huge sum that he had initially refused to pay. If it had been a regular Joe who did not have a high power attorney and high priced accountant, he would have been in jail.
So Klastri, what about the forty plus percent who also pay no income taxes. Same argument they pay sales and payroll taxes. Why is this argument any different. Because Trump is a republican.
IRT Klastri, hey with Mr. Trump growing the economy, think every law office in the United States forced to hire one additional attorney to keep up with the business demand. Think, each existing business required to hire one more employee to handle increased business demand. Think, illegal aliens removed from the United States making available work for Americans. Think, manufacturing returning from other Countries to the United States. Etc.
I’m trying to figure out what this really means. Tax info from over 20 years ago showed he filed his taxes according to the law. While he had bad business results, nobody is saying he cheated on his taxes. I can’t think of anyone who would pay more in taxes than they were required to. This is all some but no fire. What this does point to is a need to revise the tax code.
Trump has indeed not paid tax obligations in New York that eventually he had to pay due to court judgement. And there were other states that took action against him. See http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/19/trumpss-tax-troubles-more-than-100-lawsuits-disputes-tied-to-companies.html.
Are they saying that only dummies pay taxes?
Yes. Great message from someone who is asking to run the government. He’s a psychotic. Obviously.
IRT Klastri, if Mr. Trump is a psychotic, he is one great psychotic. You posted that you run a business. Try figure Mr. Trump has say 100,000 employees who probably pay taxes from Mr. Trumps business withholding. What does that come to, Billions of Federal Taxes that he withholds and pay from his businesses? And the Federal Taxes on all the different business transactions he conducts. You as a businessman and attorney can surely add the Federal Taxes up, can’t you.
Mr. Trump has almost no employees other than his children. The only businesses he ever had that actually employed a large number of people were his casinos that all went bankrupt.
Trump is doing great and has several successful businesses. You can’t win ’em all.
IRT Klastri, you are thinking small. Try think a large business such as Mr. Trumps with in one branch owning in fee, 12 golf courses and resorts (hotel, dining areas, club house, etc) that come with the course. In my past, I owned a small construction company and was under contract to prepare the Kapolei Peoples Golf Course for sale to Japan interests. We know a golf course requires some 200 acres and some $100 million to build. Also, some $5 million to maintain a year. There are some 25 personnel hired to maintain the course, $2 million in equipment, and $1 million in supplies.
Our small construction company hired between 60 and 100 union employees at any given time between Oahu and Hawaii Island. Mr. Trump has “no” employees, give me a break. Mr. Klastri, you are small time.
kuro, yes, those golf courses cost a lot of money to build and maintain but most of them turned out to be bad business decisions. Look it up, most the courses built in Hawaii in those boom years lost big money and got sold for pennies on the dollar. As they say, bigger they are, harder they fall, and that was true with lots of Trump developments. What to brag about if all that huge expenditure gained nothing? Actually, you are the small thinker since you have no ability to differentiate profitability from large expenditures.
IRT Oxtail01, Mr. Trump has not bought a golf course resort high and had to sell low, as a few Hawaii investors bought high and had to sell low. Pls review the golf courses in that situation, nearly all are not tied into a hotel or resort home development. Oh, Mr. Trump has not yet got involved in a resort development in Hawaii and his property losses has been gambling casino’s.
No. But I do think only a dummy would pay more in taxes than they need to. This is like that story years ago that the Clinton’s had deductions for donating used underwear to charity. While it makes for good joke material, they didn’t do anything wrong by doing that. Of course the average person wouldn’t file $900 million in biz losses or claim deductions for used underwear, just shows the ultra wealthy live on a different level.
Roger that…they do live on a different level. It helps if you can write the tax laws and have them implemented.
Make a contribution to your local Thrifty Store of used underwear and clothing and you can get a deduction.
Hello, the argument is moot if he hasn’t made is tax returns available for public scrutiny. You can say anything but it doesn’t matter without evidence.
If you need not pay taxes, you are still entitled to live in the USA, and enjoy its freedoms. But it is very cheesy for a candidate for president to boast that he pays no taxes. To me, that sounds like a taker, not a giver, and not the kind of person I want to live next to. No wonder New Yorkers despise him. Maybe he pays no taxes because he cheats his contractors, rips off his investors, underpays his employees? There is reason to believe that he has violated NY state tax laws re charitable giving. And, “serial bankruptcy”? I guess there is a sucker born every minute to invest with him, or maybe his financing comes from his best bud Vlad P? Trump may be a citizen of the US, but he is not a real American.
He’s part of the 47 percent.
See http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/19/trumpss-tax-troubles-more-than-100-lawsuits-disputes-tied-to-companies.html. That pretty much sums up Trumps way of doing business.
He has been very successful with a few bumps in the road. He has a nice airplane.
He’s deplorablabbliess.
Mr. Trump is a genius…lost $916 mil and got a huge 18 year tax break. Wow…should be working for the government..can lose billions for us and be called a genius…
beam me up…beam me up Scottie!
This is a great point! The Trumpsters have no grasp of reality. Only a Trumpster could call someone that lost $916 million dollars a genius!
Anyone who believes (or pretends to believe) the birther theory is an ld1ot. The guy who leads the birther theory cannot be called a genius, should be prohibited from running for public office. Trump shouldn’t even be allowed to run for dog catcher!
Question? Will this election ever be about the real issues? It’s pretty amazing but neither of the two individuals running for president has made any real promises or talked about how we are going to save the planet from global warming etc….It’s joke and the media is leading it.
He was the illegal child of Morticia Adams.
The most important point, imho, is whether there would be conflicts of interest with his investments here in America and especially abroad in foreign countries. Only his tax return will properly disclose this.
There are required (not discretionary) forms and attachments to a person’s tax return which would list his ownership interest in each partnership, limited liability company, s corp, joint venture, etc.
These schedules would also disclose the his applicable share of the total liabilities associated with each respective business, etc.
His entire tax return, when properly reviewed, would allow someone with the proper experience and training to assess whether there are conflicts of interests that could compromise his duties as POTUS.
And that is one of the reasons why Trump refuses to share his tax returns.
Change the tax laws if anyone wants to complain about paying no taxes. We all look for any means to lower our IRS payments. Some of us are stock investors who deduct all they can be allowed if our losses are greater than gains. Ditto for gambling losses. Those who don’t look for loss deductions are fools. Trump is no fool. Change the tax laws if its unfair. Military members in combat zones used to get special tax free status for the whole year. Lots of military would volunteer to touch down in Saigon for a day to take advantage of tax laws. Not so for civilians in war zones. Don’t know if it still applies to the conflict in Iraq/Afghanistan. Bottom line: We all look for exemptions.
Most of us would not lose 916 million dollars also.
Unfortunately, he is just playing a shell game. He promises to “fix” these tax exemptions and then will write new laws that benefit the wealthy 1% and that is on the dime of all the hardworking middle class.
Geez… As David Letterman used to say “Sometimes the jokes just write themselves.”
What’s the difference between Trump taking advantage of loopholes and the homeless taking advantage of loopholes?
Duh. He claims to be a billionaire. Talk about undereducated. Sheesh
On line 66a.1, Medical enhancements, Trump rook a deduction for Viagra and a “pump” device. IRS. refused it because at 70 years old, they ordered him to stop with the young foreign aliens from Russia.
@Boots…what makes you think I am far right? Just because I like seeing both sides and making up my own mind? Just because I’m tired of the political game the media is playing by focusing too much attention on these ridiculous trivial and juvenile issues while the really important issues are being ignored? Just because I’m tired of the divisiveness that is splitting up this country? If you think that makes this independent part of the far right, so be it. I could care less about party affiliation as long as that leader will do the right and lawful thing for the country (and yes, stay within the constitutional powers provided to each of the branches of government). Both presidential candidates are in this race for their egos…one on political level and the other on a personal level.
Meanwhile, Waldo just dis-respected ( or dissed for those of you who live in the ‘hood) all the young and idealistic Bernie Sanders supporters who were counting on free everything. You all remember Bernie, he’s that loveable, whacky, kosher socialist revolutionary who was shown the door by the DNC after he challenged Waldo. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Waldo’s got some right wing blood in her. Next thing you know she’ll be talking about personal responsibility and support for the 2nd amendment. If she keeps talking like this I may even give her a second look. After all, she did use the principles of free market capitalism (and a bit of influence peddling) to get rich.
The good news is that Trump is losing, and a path to 270 electoral college votes is virtually impossible. His poll results are getting worse every day following his disastrous debate performance. Educated folks – primarily women – are fleeing from him like he’s radioactive.
Mrs. Clinton did a great job of exposing his profound mental illness to the 84 million viewers. He’s done.
She is very fortunate to be running against Trump, a man who is often his own worst enemy. Had the Repubs put up a halfway decent candidate, Mrs. Clinton would be in trouble and probably on her way to jail instead of the WH after the election.
Jail? Yes, of course. At least you don’t ridiculously overstate your made up case.
Lock her up. FBI made the case. Atty Gen let her off the hook so far. It’s not over. Wiki wiki
Mrs. Clinton? You mean Waldo?
Didn’t really expect you to read it..
This was directed at klas for his response to my suggestion below..
klas, a few months ago I read this. “http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberalism”. Check it out. Perhaps you’ll realize you may be doing more to empower Trump rather than neuter him. Only understanding and moving towards the core issues central to those willing to support someone like him, rather than endless ridicule of the support itself, will narrow the chasm that created Trump in the first place. It’s a good read, and one that provokes introspection.
Yes, of course. That’s quite an analysis.
He deserves endless ridicule. He’s a psychotic, and he’ll never be President.
A candidate who doesn’t pay his bills and taxes… what a deadbeat.
He has good accountants and tax attorneys. Nothing wrong with that. Once Pres he will know how to stop those loopholes.
You sure? Why would he do that? This genius who hasn’t paid taxes for 18 years will now make it so he has to pay? or only other wealthy people need to pay?
Have you been drinking?
Trump already said that he’s going to loosen the tax code for wealthy people. The ignorance here is really discouraging.
Trump wants to do for each of us in this country what he has been able to do for himself. He, one single person, lost $916 million. Multiply that by 300 million people. That’s how much we, collectively, will lose as a nation.
This is a diversionary argument, of course. Virtually all businesses pay taxes, and those taxes have nothing to do with the personal tax liabilities of their founders and top executives. Should Bill Gates pay no income tax because Microsoft employs more than a hundred thousand people and pays part of their payroll taxes? Should Warren Buffett pay no income tax because his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, has businesses all over America that pay local taxes? Should Oracle chairman Larry Ellison pay no income taxes because the property taxes on his estate in Woodside, California, are reportedly eight hundred thousand dollars a year?
I distinctly recall and vividly remember the times my Dad “snuck” me on board the USS America (and the Nimitz). He was the carriers’ Master-at-Arms. Two things stood out the first time: When I kept asking my dad about how cool it was that this was his ship, he told me, without skipping a beat, that this was my ship, too, that everyone in America owned this ship, because everyone’s taxes can create incredible things (and he also said that he worked for them (and me), too). I looked at this awesome Aircraft Carrier with new eyes. I was standing on OUR boat, looking at OUR planes, and everyone around me was working for me! Taxes, maybe, weren’t such a bad thing. (The second was the shear amount of porn these sailors posted everywhere).
Hope you were old enough to deal with—and/or enjoy the porn!
talk about trump they say being a genius, Clinton foundation are more genius in cheating, as I said last night comey the FBI director took millions from the clinton foundation defense contractor. it was by tim reed of the Washington standard and freedom presss there was a little line about in the Washington times, but if you folks want the truth what I am saying just go to google and type in [did comey receive millions of dollars from the Clinton fund] then press on where it says came out 3 days ago. the AP won’t print it or any other paper or news media or on T.V. now we know why he did not go after the Clintons, corruption at the highest level.
Lobbyists line the hallways of Washington and write the laws of this country.
In a situation like this, Trump should not be called a genius. By POOR business decisions, he lost $915M. This loss is not from a genius plan to pay no taxes. I feel sorry for all innocent people that also suffered from Trump’s poor and probably risky decision.
The IRS should check if he has proper basis to allow the NOL with so many bankruptcies and non payments to vendors.
also when he got out of bankruptcy and built his business back up about 10,000 jobs were created.
He’s in good company with thousands of other “geniuses” who didn’t pay taxes and are in jail.
if he did not pay his taxes he would have been in jail already, the Clintons would made sure of that. because he is rich all you people are just jealous. because he increased in wealth and not on taxpayers expense
It is at taxpayers expense when he takes over $900m in losses. That’s $900 million in taxable income if it’s a successful business. The government has to make up that tax revenue from other sources. Both C and G, as government workers, should know full well that the functioning government depend on taxes and that individuals/entities who claim losses spread over a long period of time does nothing to help the government in it’s ability to run the country. Whether the money is spent effectively/efficiently is a matter for another debate but the fact is Trump is running for the President Of The United States, an entity that depends on taxes collected. If he and his surrogates are arguing in favor of all the special loopholes that benefit wealthy individuals and corporations, then Trump shouldn’t be preaching raising the tax rates on hedge fund managers as he’s done, nor should he be lambasting corporations like Ford, etc.. for setting up shop outside of US.
By the way, if he’s rich as you claim, why be afraid of showing it and prove to all of us what a “genius” he is?
I’m definitely not a Trump supporter. And not big fan of Clinton either. But another point to show this is a non-issue is what did that $900M loss represent? I seriously doubt Trump paid it all to himself. The money represented money that went into all of his various business ventures. That money represented start-up costs, equipment and furniture expenses, supplies, and most of all salaries. All of that money goes back onto the community where the employees spend it at the local grocer, diner, or other small businesses. The equipment or furniture manufacturer pays his or her employees and buys more to replace stock, etc… So the money just didn’t disappear…it is just that Trump’s revenues didn’t cover all those expenses. Same thing occurs when a local business here closes its doors. The money it used prior to closing didn’t just disappear down the drain. It went to pay expenses and carried forward into the community. This just reinforces my opinion this is a smoke screen to divert the average person from questioning where are the policies to address real issues. So the Trump haters are chasing their tails on this one. And the Clinton haters have a similar hollow point when it comes up that last year the Clintons claimed almost $700K business loss.
The loss means that revenues weren’t enough to cover outstanding liabilities like loan payments, operating costs, etc..Unless a close examination is possible, the claimed losses could entail almost anything.
Only in the twisted mind of Rudy Giuliani does someone who loses a billion dollars in an economic boom year qualify as a “genius.”
Wonder why there is little mention of Trumper raising the question of why the late DOH director Fuddy was the only one to die in the plane crash? Not only did his insinuation cast a shadow on the unfortunate and accidental passing of a dedicated civil servant of Hawaii, he also claimed former director Fukino had somehow forged Obama’s birth certificate.
Hawaii, speak with your vote!
No, I don’t wonder why. Mr. Trump is profoundly mentally ill. That’s the kind of thing he says all the time.
It’s really sad to read Mr. Trump’s supporters praising him for his business acumen by not paying taxes. The real issue is how could a supposedly brilliant business person lose $900 million in a boom time? It’s because he’s lousy at business. He squandered his father’s estate proceeds and continued to lose money when everyone else was making a fortune.
Mr. Trump is not releasing his tax returns because he has consistently lied about his wealth, and his supporters can’t figure that out.
Yep, compared to Christie and Giuliani, Drumpf unquestionably is a genius. That’s not setting the bar very high — makes it more of a limbo contest.
If Drumpf didn’t pay taxes, he’s nothing but a well-heeled crook.
That charlatan will never be President unless he buys his own country. But the sellers better insist on cash money on the barrelhead.
Let’s get something straight. Donald did not interpret the tax codes, if anything it was his tax accountants and lawyers that figured out how to be creative.
Next, isn’t anyone wondering how a “successful” businessman lost almost $1 Billion in the first place??
All tax laws are written and passed by Congress since ratification of the Constitution in 1788.
If ‘one’ is able to follow the rules and use the tax laws/loopholes to their advantage, does this constitute a violation of having to not pay taxes?
Or, is it in the nay-sayers plight to cry ‘foul’ if someone is NOT paying their fair share?
Seems the culprit is in the actual laws/loopholes that allow one to delineate between paying taxes and CPA- genius.
The tax laws currently allow this all to happen.