Lol

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/immediately-release-donald-trumps-full-tax-returns-all-information-needed-verify-emoluments-clause-compliance

1/20/2017 3:45:18 PM

Signed.

1/20/2017 4:10:14 PM

+1

1/20/2017 4:41:35 PM

Looks like Donny's ad wizards forgot to delink this subdomain.

1/20/2017 5:09:19 PM

Yeah this subdomain ain't gonna be around much longer.

1/20/2017 6:05:55 PM

Quote :

"Individual income tax returns — including those of public figures — are private information, protected by law from unauthorized disclosure. Indeed, the Internal Revenue Service is barred from releasing any taxpayer information whatsoever, except to authorized agencies and individuals."

What does it matter if Trump releases his taxes, you nosy ass people.

Quote :

"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

The entire public does not need to know financial information (tax release). This can be discretely investigated by an audit team to validate his eligibility of presidency.


[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 6:36 PM. Reason : .]

1/20/2017 6:29:29 PM

Quote :

"What does it matter if Trump releases his taxes, you nosy ass people."

The precedence for financial transparency is well established within the modern presidency.

Quote :

"Individual income tax returns — including those of public figures — are private information, protected by law from unauthorized disclosure. Indeed, the Internal Revenue Service is barred from releasing any taxpayer information whatsoever, except to authorized agencies and individuals"

No shit???

1/20/2017 6:51:59 PM

releasing them isn't going to change anyone's opinion of him

1/20/2017 7:00:17 PM

^ I don't think that's the point of the petition.

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 7:09 PM. Reason : but it ain't gonna happen anyway. he didn't release in the primary, he sure as hell ain't gonna now]

1/20/2017 7:08:04 PM

Quote :

"releasing them isn't going to change anyone's opinion of him"

True. But ^.

1/20/2017 7:19:48 PM

LOL

1/20/2017 7:24:06 PM

suddenly the constitution matters

this is the democrat version of all the republican mouth-breathers demanding to see a birth certificate

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 7:26 PM. Reason : a]

1/20/2017 7:24:24 PM

Quote :

"suddenly the constitution matters"

How's that?

Quote :

"this is the democrat version of all the republican mouth-breathers demanding to see a birth certificate"

Now that he's the Prez, I'll agree. Calling for it in the primary was not though.

1/20/2017 7:32:31 PM

^^ would make more sense if you compared it to GOPs calls to see Clinton's Goldman transcripts.

Asking for tax returns is a transparent issue not a legitimacy issue.

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 7:34 PM. Reason : And conflict issue]

1/20/2017 7:34:18 PM

Quote :

"What does it matter if Trump releases his taxes, you nosy ass people."

Count me in as one of the people who doesn't care. Last election Obama pressured Romney into releasing his and then came out with the campaign ad that said, "You MIGHT have paid a higher PERCENTAGE of taxes than Romney." OMG! RICH PEOPLE ARE EVIL! VOTE OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's just a way to play politics and run a smear campaign.

1/20/2017 7:35:42 PM

dp

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 7:36 PM. Reason : .]

1/20/2017 7:35:42 PM

^^^^i intended to point out how the petition references the constitution, but democrats (and republicans) haven't given a fuck about the constitution since who knows when.

it's no different than christian conservatives cherry picking the bible and only referencing it when it's convenient to their argument

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 7:49 PM. Reason : but, shit yeah, i'm all for a return to constitutional gubment]

1/20/2017 7:42:45 PM

Let me make it easy for you: He didn't pay any taxes...but this isn't about if he paid any taxes or not, there's plenty of rich bastards who didn't. This is about trying to get him to squirm.

1/20/2017 9:11:58 PM

How rich is big4country?

That guys gotta be loaded.

1/20/2017 9:26:54 PM

Quote :

"this is the democrat version of all the republican mouth-breathers demanding to see a birth certificate"

the two aren't anything alike at all

1/20/2017 9:39:49 PM

^^I'm not rich at all.

1/20/2017 9:41:32 PM

Making America Great Again!!!

1/20/2017 9:43:38 PM

Quote :

"but this isn't about if he paid any taxes or not, there's plenty of rich bastards who didn't. This is about trying to get him to squirm."

You really think some dump petition site is gonna make this dude squirm?

The time for him to squirm about this was during the primary, and he probably didn't then either.

[Edited on January 20, 2017 at 9:52 PM. Reason : He's the fucking President!]

1/20/2017 9:47:58 PM

^No, but that's what they think/hope

1/20/2017 11:57:09 PM

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/21/media/sean-spicer-press-secretary-statement/index.html

This is so hysterical - if this wasn't on cnn.com I would have sworn it was an SNL cold open.

1/21/2017 11:44:50 PM

He was very squirmy today. All because someone hurt his feelings with Twitter pics. What a baby.

The dude carries around an entourage to press events laugh at his jokes. He's Kim Jong Il with less filmmaking talent.

1/22/2017 2:24:40 AM

1/22/2017 4:03:16 AM

hahaha

http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/wh-spokesman-gave-alternative-facts-inauguration-crowd-n710466

"alternative facts"

I have never heard that before as a substitute for "lies."

[Edited on January 22, 2017 at 12:14 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/22/2017 12:12:19 PM

Somebody must have missed the memo...There are no facts anymore.

1/22/2017 12:17:51 PM

nobody cares about facts. they don't want to hear facts. they simply want affirmation of their preconceived notions.

1/22/2017 12:27:21 PM

Quote :

"Count me in as one of the people who doesn't care"

Bruh, no one needed you to state that to know that's your position

1/22/2017 12:36:23 PM

^^^^So much of that exchange is excruciating.

Also, they're tryna gaslight us like crazy.

Quote :

"If you are puzzled by the bizarre "press conference" put on by the White House press secretary this evening (angrily claiming that Trump's inauguration had the largest audience in history, accusing them of faking photos and lying about attendance), let me help explain it. This spectacle served three purposes: 1. Establishing a norm with the press: they will be told things that are obviously wrong and they will have no opportunity to ask questions. That way, they will be grateful if they get anything more at any press conference. This is the PR equivalent of "negging," the odious pick-up practice of a particular kind of horrible person (e.g., Donald Trump). 2. Increasing the separation between Trump's base (1/3 of the population) from everybody else (the remaining 2/3). By being told something that is obviously wrong—that there is no evidence for and all evidence against, that anybody with eyes can see is wrong—they are forced to pick whether they are going to believe Trump or their lying eyes. The gamble here—likely to pay off—is that they will believe Trump. This means that they will regard media outlets that report the truth as "fake news" (because otherwise they'd be forced to confront their cognitive dissonance.) 3. Creating a sense of uncertainty about whether facts are knowable, among a certain chunk of the population (which is a taking a page from the Kremlin, for whom this is their preferred disinformation tactic). A third of the population will say "clearly the White House is lying," a third will say "if Trump says it, it must be true," and the remaining third will say "gosh, I guess this is unknowable." The idea isn't to convince these people of untrue things, it's to fatigue them, so that they will stay out of the political process entirely, regarding the truth as just too difficult to determine. This is laying important groundwork for the months ahead. If Trump's White House is willing to lie about something as obviously, unquestionably fake as this, just imagine what else they'll lie about. In particular, things that the public cannot possibly verify the truth of. It's gonna get real bad."

1/22/2017 12:58:35 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/22/politics/kellyanne-conway-trump-tax-returns/index.html

I suppose this is the (expected) White House response to the petition posted yesterday. Onto another topic!

1/22/2017 2:41:20 PM

I don't get this either. What is the point of getting him to release his tax returns? I haven't seen a good answer to this in this thread. I really despise Trump, but I don't know what the goal of this is? Just to say, Oh no Trump avoided paying taxes he didn't have to legally pay? Doesn't everybody do that? Are they hoping he broke the law and is a tax evader? I'm sure you could find some dirt on him with his tax returns such as a shitty record of charitable giving, or utilizing IRS loopholes, but that seems like it would have been more effective in the campaign and is just throwing dirt on his character. Doesn't really seem to have a purpose now except to give people another reason to not like him, which is already really easy.

1/23/2017 10:58:26 AM

I think the point during the campaign was what you mentioned but now its to get a grasp of where and whom from he gets all his money to figure out what ties he has in order to keep an eye out for corruption, political favors, that type of thing.

[Edited on January 23, 2017 at 11:32 AM. Reason : .]

1/23/2017 11:32:04 AM

Quote :

"I don't get this either. What is the point of getting him to release his tax returns? I haven't seen a good answer to this in this thread"

Perhaps you should have clicked the link in the OP.

Quote :

"The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution."

This ain't about his taxes.

1/23/2017 11:37:59 AM

^^Ok, but how would his tax returns help determine if he's in violation. I could be way off on this, but I would assume his tax returns would show his income from the Trump corporation, and his other businesses. It's not like every bit of income he receives is going to be itemized, and say, this is from China. His returns would just show how much income he made from each of his businesses. I guess I just answered my question. It would be easy to prove those businesses receive money from foreign dignitaries, and foreign govts, etc. Still though, I don't know how his tax return would help. I mean don't we already know that he receives income from his corporations, and don't we know that those corporations serve foreign interests? So what would tax returns prove?
Ultimately the law is really broad, but it does have precedence, although not on a scale even remotely close to this. He'll finagle his way around it.
I will say I think it's absurd that people thought he should separate himself from his businesses before he took office. That's just crazy. Corporations worth billions, and he's just expected to sell off in two months? That's impossible.
Again, I really don't like the man, and didn't vote for him, so don't think I'm defending him. I'm just curious what people think this will accomplish.

[Edited on January 23, 2017 at 3:07 PM. Reason : a]

1/23/2017 3:05:47 PM

why do you think he's so resistant to releasing them?

1/23/2017 3:09:18 PM

tax return will show, among other things, to whom he owes money, who he is in business with, and may show if money is being held offshore. these things are not made clear by the minimum required financial disclosure.

do i need to explain why knowing who someone is in business with and to whom they own money is important or is that much obvious at least?

1/23/2017 3:21:34 PM

^No, you missed my point. I understand how who he is doing business with would be important. What I'm saying is, I would think his tax returns would show the income coming from his corporations. What I mean is if a Chinese dignitary stays in Trump tower, his tax return is not going to say Donald Received $400 per night for this stay. His tax return would just show his total income from his corporations. Wouldn't an audit of his businesses be the way to accomplish what this is trying to accomplish, and not his taxes? I mean I know his taxes could shed some light, but I would think the big prize would be an audit of his corporate books.

1/23/2017 3:26:11 PM

i mean, i just answered your question, what is your confusion about?

1/23/2017 3:27:36 PM

Well who he owes money to is irrelevant to the law in question. Offshore funds are also irrelevant to the law in question. Receiving benefits from foreign interest is what's in question, and I don't think his tax returns are going to point out those foreign interests specifically, I think it will just show his income from his corporations. His corporate books would show which foreign interests paid these companies. Did you read what I wrote?

1/23/2017 3:30:28 PM

you asked why people wanted to see them, that's why people want to see them. those things, among other things but i think primarily those things for trump, are why tax returns are a standard disclosure made by every candidate.

i don't think anyone thought the petition would make a difference, but it is highlighting that everyone let trump get away without making financial disclosures that are common and also reminding everyone that trump lied about it

1/23/2017 3:36:21 PM

Good point. We'll never see them though. I could see an attempt to impeach him if his business dealings are ever thoroughly audited.

1/23/2017 3:39:52 PM