During the 2012 presidential election Donald Trump blasted Mitt Romney for not releasing his tax returns (which he later did), but during his presidential campaign Trump has refused to do so.
Conservative columnist George Will suggests it may be because Trump has tight financial relations with Russia oligarchs he doesn’t want voters to know about.
“Perhaps one more reason why we’re not seeing his tax returns, because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russia oligarchs and others,” said Will on Fox News. “Whether that’s good, bad or indifferent, it’s probably the reasonable surmise.”
Without the release of his tax returns, voters do not know how much of Trump’s self-funded campaign draws on Russian capital, and where exactly that money comes from.
“He should be asked about this in every interview, every press availability and every debate,” said Mark Salter, former advisor to Sen. John McCain. “Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell should insist he answer it.”
Trump’s family has had close ties with Russia for over a decade. The billionaire took the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013 and he personally invited President Vladimir Putin.
Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow – if so, will he become my new best friend?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2013
Putin gave Trump a decorative lacquered box and a warm note, according to Aras Agalarov, a Moscow billionaire who served as a liaison between Trump and the Russian leader.
Trump was paid $14 million to bring the beauty pageant to Russia and he later bragged, “Almost all of the oligarchs were in the room.”
But the financial ties with Russia apparently go far beyond Miss Universe.
“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” said Trump’s son, Donald Jr. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”
And just how much connection there is between Trump and Moscow “is the sort of thing we might learn if we saw the candidates’ tax returns,” said Will.
Trump has said previously about releasing his taxes:
In interview I told @AP that my taxes are under routine audit and I would release my tax returns when audit is complete, not after election!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 11, 2016
But he has released his tax returns during an audit before, to state gambling officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, while seeking casino licenses in those states.
There are some other reasons why Trump could refuse to release his tax returns before the election:
- Ties to Russia (see above).
- He donates nothing to charity. Trump has said numerous times he has donated “millions” to veterans charities, but his tax return could prove that to be a lie. The Washington Post spent weeks contacting charities to confirm his contributions over the past seven years but could only find $10,000 worth.
- He is lying about his net wealth. Tax returns won’t confirm how rich Trump is, but they would show how much he claims to make each year. If he’s been claiming to be worth $10 billion, but only worth $3 billion, that would certainly embarrass him in Manhattan.
- He has paid zero taxes. The billionaire could be managing to skip out on paying taxes each year by reporting negative income. You know, the taxes we all pay to help fund basic services in our society? It is fact that Trump paid zero taxes for at least two years in the 1970’s.
- He has mob ties. The rumors about Trump and the mafia in New York City go back decades. His rival Ted Cruz took the rumors public back in February: “There have been multiple media reports about Donald’s business dealings with the mob, with the mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported.”
Romney says not releasing tax returns is “disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee.” The former Massachusetts governor skipped the GOP convention last week and says he will not vote for Trump.
“There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them,” said Romney. “Given Mr. Trump’s equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it’s a bombshell of unusual size.”