Oh teh noes! The MSM has Trump's tax returns!

[Angel Eyes]

Well, one of his returns, from 2005, which shows he paid $38 million tax on income of $150 million, so about 25%

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rachel-maddow-says-she-has-donald-trumps-tax-returns-will-reveal-tonight-986268

Sounds like another "Al Capone's vault" situation.

[Ben]

Heck, that's the kinda return I would purposely leak to the press if I were Trump.

[freakazoid]

Ha! Just about to post about this. I wonder if this is in any way legal. I've read that some people are thinking it is mostly an attempt to steal viewership From Tucker Carlson.
Also, apparently the White House released them before Rachel Maddow had a chance too do it first, http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-releases-trump-tax-info-ahead-of-tv-report/ar-AAolPs4?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp 

[Ben]

It's apparently already out that Bernie Sanders paid 13% in taxes that year. 

[Ben]

And as the reporter who "leaked" this tries to save his career, his best argument is that the rest of the media got things wrong stating that Trump paid 25% when he only paid 24%. 



http://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2017/03/15/sad-journo-behind-trump-tax-return-hits-donald-jr-for-rounding-up-for-real/

[MechAg94]

And as the reporter who "leaked" this tries to save his career, his best argument is that the rest of the media got things wrong stating that Trump paid 25% when he only paid 24%. 



http://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2017/03/15/sad-journo-behind-trump-tax-return-hits-donald-jr-for-rounding-up-for-real/

I think a whole bunch of these liberal journalists have never heard the saying "Pick your battles". 

[Monkeyleg]

The reporter picked the wrong year to steal. Trump paid $5.3 million in taxes in 2005 and $31 million in Alternative Minimum Tax. Another year might have found him paying less. This little stumble left Maddow and others wondering if the laws on the AMT shouldn't be changed so that billionaire Republican presidents would pay 100%.

That' didn't stop reporters from questioning if there's not some buried evidence in the return of payment from the Russians. What do they expect to find, a 1099 from Putin?

[birdman]

That' didn't stop reporters from questioning if there's not some buried evidence in the return of payment from the Russians. What do they expect to find, a 1099 from Putin?

Wouldn't even include that, IIRC, it was just the two main pages of a 1040.

[Ben]

http://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2017/03/15/trump-paid-a-higher-tax-rate-than-obama-comcast-and-bernie-sanders/

That link alone makes it look like a "pro-Trump" talking point. If anything, it makes him look like he needs a better tax guy. 

Even with my piddly rental properties, if I just look at that part of my income, I do WAY better than 25% because of all the deductions you can take for rental property.

[HankB]

Read a story that if some unauthorized third party (e.g., an IRS employee) leaked it, that would be a felony. HOWEVER, unless the journalist who then publicized it were part of a conspiracy before the fact to steal this information, revealing it on TV or elsewhere would apparently NOT be a prosecutable offense.

Hmmm . . . Dems have been agitating for a special prosecutor to examine their imagined Trump/Russia electioneering ideas . . . maybe we should give them one to investigate leaking Trump tax data!

[Viking]

It's becoming more and more apparent that Trump is playing 4-D chess. Media have yet to catch on to this, and is playing like the game is tic-tac-toe.

[Ben]

Read a story that if some unauthorized third party (e.g., an IRS employee) leaked it, that would be a felony. HOWEVER, unless the journalist who then publicized it were part of a conspiracy before the fact to steal this information, revealing it on TV or elsewhere would apparently NOT be a prosecutable offense.

Hmmm . . . Dems have been agitating for a special prosecutor to examine their imagined Trump/Russia electioneering ideas . . . maybe we should give them one to investigate leaking Trump tax data!

Judge Napalitano said that if the leak was transferred via US Mail, that it's a felony.

[Ben]

Man, this tax return business is going to be some of the best positive (and free) publicity Trump is going to get for a while!

http://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2017/03/15/whoops-this-hillaryclinton-tweet-most-definitely-did-not-age-well/

[Angel Eyes]

Speaking of taxes:

https://heatst.com/politics/the-place-for-tax-woes-nine-msnbc-personalities-had-tax-liens-filed-against-them/

[makattak]

For all of Trump's flaws, it's pretty clear the man's tactics are completely beyond the media's power to understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he "leaked" these.


He's like the schoolyard bully, except I'm rooting for him because the little twerps had it coming.

[Angel Eyes]

[Monkeyleg]

For all of Trump's flaws, it's pretty clear the man's tactics are completely beyond the media's power to understand. I wouldn't be surprised if he "leaked" these.


He's like the schoolyard bully, except I'm rooting for him because the little twerps had it coming.

He knows how to control the media. I'm sure he's had the full details ready to go last year, just waiting for someone to get his return.

Everybody in DC keeps talking like he's an idiot, a neophyte who can't possibly understand the intricacies of politics. What they just don't see is that none of them has ever worked in a ruthless environment where they could personally lose tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. They're all safe, with little or no potential personal loss, except perhaps loss of face. He has, and he's risen to the top in that bloody environment. Doing so required anticipating and outmaneuvering some very shrewd people.

[grampster]

He knows how to control the media. I'm sure he's had the full details ready to go last year, just waiting for someone to get his return.

Everybody in DC keeps talking like he's an idiot, a neophyte who can't possibly understand the intricacies of politics. What they just don't see is that none of them has ever worked in a ruthless environment where they could personally lose tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. They're all safe, with little or no potential personal loss, except perhaps loss of face. He has, and he's risen to the top in that bloody environment. Doing so required anticipating and outmaneuvering some very shrewd people.

That's the thing that makes me laff my arse off almost on a daily basis.  There is stupidity involved.  Just not from Trump.

[Angel Eyes]