‘Emoluments’ Challenge To Donald Trump’s Ethics Conflicts Gets A Big Boost

It's not nonsensical at all. Being transparent isn't a pick-and-choose practice on what you're transparent with.

If the candidates from the last 40 years had global corporations worth billions of dollars you might have a point. Trying to claim equivalency and equality of action between Trumps tax returns and other presidents is just disingenuous. The other Presidents might as well have submitted 1040EZ's compared to Trumps tax returns.

 

Of course Trump is going to use his position to continue to line his pockets (as he has from Day One).

He is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to using his position to pressure and blackmail people into actions that will fill his coffers.

 

Which would lead to a tangent accompanied by loud whining and being accused of going off topic. You'll need to do your own research on that.

Do I really need to explain that taxes are from the year before?

Also I'd love to hear more about gifts you receive showing up on your tax returns. How many gifts that you received did you claim last year?

Let's pull up Trump's 2016 tax returns and get a full listing of emoluments he received. Brilliant.

If you want to mistake disinterest and seeing through your argument as a concession, knock yourself out.

 

I feel sorry for you.

President Trump is clearly a genius.
You are clearly not.

He is President of the free world, you are crying on a web forum.

Don't worry, the next scandal will put hitlery in office.

 

Um, yes it is. As I explained. It is quite possible to be very transparent in some areas, and not very transparent in others.

You've already tried this argument, and I've already rebutted it.

You are claiming that Trump's finances are SO different from all of his predecessors that he shouldn't have to release his tax returns.

Which makes no sense.

#1, Just because his returns are different and more complicated, how does that justify not meeting the same standard of transparency his predecessors met? Transparency doesn't care about how complex the information is; it just cares that it is available.
#2, The fact that he is our first president with significant overseas investments makes releasing his returns MORE important, not less, because he has MORE opportunities to receive payments from foreign governments.

If Trump is worried that his returns will be misunderstood, no problem:
#1, It's not that big a worry. The media will find plenty of people -- CPAs, other tax experts -- capable of understanding his returns.
#2, he can release guidance with his returns explaining what they mean.
#3, he'll be able to send out surrogates to push back on analyses he doesn't like, and promote analyses he does.

So such a concern is not justification for refusing to release information all of his predecessors released.

Neither is your oft-stated concern that partisans will sift through his returns for damaging information. Well, of course they will. Just as they did for all of his predecessors. That is not sufficient reason for Trump to be released from the standard, either.

Got anything else, or you going to stand on this discredited argument?

 

First off, I don't need to learn to format anything. I wrote what I wrote the way I wrote it on purpose.

He did not inherit his wealth, he got a few million loan from his father and turned that into billions.
That tired sad story about "if had just invested his money he would have a lot more then he does today, because he is dumb" is a joke!
You do understand he has spent money along the way, bought things, gone places right? so NO, that money if invested way back then would not be more then he has now. But clearly you do not understand investments, and business, and money matters.

I know he did not violate the law because he doesn't have to, he's rich, powerful, and now the President of the United States of America.
He wants for nothing. He doesn't need more money. His kids don't need more money. They are trying to give back to this country that gave them so much.

So much crying on the left.

Don't worry, with the next made up scandal, hitlery will be made president, I'm sure of it!

 

This is an issue for any President, it is not President Trumps fault.

These business's need to learn how to turn his presence into a boon for their companies instead of whining about the honor of having the President hang out in their town.

Clearly they do not know how to manage things very well.

I also think the President/Government needs to work on how the Presidents travels impact the locals, they need a smaller footprint, and much less interruption of normal operations when he goes places. He is not god, he is President.

I also wish President Trump would not go to Mar o lago nearly as much as he is. But to him, Camp David is a dump, I can understand that. He is not going to make the people pay to upgrade that place for him, he is just going to his own place. However, he is taking WAY to many golf trips down there.

 

You did a better job formatting your post this time around. So just write like this more often.

Yes, he did receive an inheritance and the claim that he would have earned more money putting his inheritance in an index fund is not a joke.

http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/donald-trump-index-funds/

Yes, I understand that he choose to spend and invest money differently when compared to putting the money into an index fund. The fact remains that the later would have resulted in more money.

Again, you are telling me that you "know" he did not violate the law because he, according to you, has no reason to violate the law. That is really, really terrible reasoning. Consider your reasoning in another context:

Saddam Hussein was rich, powerful, and the most influential and controlling man of Iraq and was just "trying to give back [his] country that gave [him] so much." Saddam Hussein violated multiple laws.

And think about it this way, your confidence in the man to avoid violating the law because he "doesn't need to" is so complete as to think that there is zero reason or need to even verify whether he is violating the law.

 

Okay. But then don't try to use them as an irrelevant argument in this thread.

No. What's your point?

Past tax returns can show current conflicts of interest (in terms of who you owe money to and where your income comes from).

They also provide a baseline to compare future tax returns against. So, for instance, if Trump's overseas business doubles in size after he becomes president, that might be a little weird, no?

And, of course, future tax returns would reflect activity while in office.

Where did I say that actual gifts show up on your tax returns?

I'm talking about business dealings that amount to gifts. Those definitely show up on tax returns, unless the president decides to commit tax fraud. Which is much harder to get away with if the return is public.

Again, you are deliberately distorting the point of tax-return transparency. The point is not to see if there is "bribes received" line item under income.

Stop with the partisan hackery.

No, I take failure to defend your indefensible position, followed by a "I don't really care" dismissal, as a concession.

 

God you are an embarrassment to our armed forces.

President Trump will last 8 years.
Even the WaPo put out an article that shows if they had the election now, Trump would win everything, the electoral college and the popular vote. You LOST, now get on board the train, or go lie on the track, but stop your incessant pissing and moaning about bs and lies.

President Trump is ONLY dangerous to the left, and to Americas enemies.

Kim Jong needs to be taken down, its been decades past due because every other president has been an establishment pussyhat coward.
There is no money, no oil in NK so they have left him alone, unlike the middle east cesspool.

I can't WAIT till we recommence the WAR we are STILL in with NK and squash that pos once and for all.

President Trump does not have an ego problem, he has a fooling you and left problem, and a keeping you clowns lost problem.
Well, more like they are your problems then his, he is doing fine, you are gnashing teeth and crying daily.

He does not have a complex, he has good morals, and great judgement, and is surrounded by the enemy everywhere, with little to no butt kissers.

Everything will go right.
The economy is turning around
Illegals are leaving, and not coming over.
The UN is paying their share.
Russia is paying attention.
Iran is paying attention.
Syria is paying attention.
China is paying attention.
NK is about to get taught a lesson, their last one.
No more apologies.
No more bowing to islam scum.
No more losing.
America is back!

 

True, but you realize that he travels every weekend, but don't realize that would have dramatically more impact then a president who travels to his actual home once a year.

The people at the airport who have their own plane, there, or have a business there that teaches flying or skydiving, are not allowed to open while the president is in town. Most of their business is on the weekends. How should they be smart about that? It's hard to open for business when you're not allowed to open for business.

 

Trump would never have survived a pre-election tax return release. He's financially sleazy beyond common understanding.

He's not requited to do it so he didn't.

And he won't in the future.

And a R Congress won't lay a hand on him ... yet.

Move on.

 

You should read up on the line of succession. VP is next, then Speaker of the House. The past election's runner up is nowhere in that mix.

 

No thanks.

No, they don't really set any kind of baseline. Trumps taxes from one year might be wildly different from the one the following year. How many people have taxes from 2009 still being looked at by the IRS? You'd need a decade of Trumps taxes to get a baseline of the magnitude of his business.

When you said "since his refusal to release his tax returns makes it easier for him to hide emoluments and gifts he might receive". Since they don't appear on anyones tax returns (other than the giver, and then only sometimes), I don't know how it would be easier.

I'd say them not existing on the tax returns in the first place would simplify the issue.

You're right, there is no point to demanding the tax returns other than partisan hackery. Quite frankly, you're not concealing yours all that well despite your frantic pearl-clutching.

You can take it however you want. How it is intended is to laugh at anyone who claims they want transparency and couldn't be more obvious to their real intentions.

 

From your post, I'll bet that it does not take much for you to be impressed with any nitwit Joe Shmoe who was fortunate enough to be a trust fund baby...for the very simple reason that all things are relative.

 

You cannot expect people that are intellectually challenged enough to support the birther-in-chief to be knowledgeable about the workings of government.

 

No, my argument is quite simple.

I've never claimed that Trump SHOULDN'T release his tax returns. You're welcome to verify that. I have said I hope he doesn't, just because it drives them into howls of rage.

My point is that the same people who spent the last 8 years defending all of Clinton's and Obama's lies, deceit, and corruption are the same people now screaming at the top of their lungs for "transparency".

My point is simply that they are hypocrites and that their demands are not based on what they claim.

 

The promise of the most transparent WH in history turns into one of the least transparent. Remember when health care was going to be a wide open process; available on television for anyone who wanted to watch democracy in action. That turned into "We'll have to pass it before you can know what's in it."

 

Is that a fact? Where? Can't wait to hear this... I mean other than me vocally saying that HRC should be indicted...

...And all the "drain the swamp" people want to enshrine more filthy places to hide... For all the hitches in yer gittalong, once in a while people you disagree with have valid points. Transparency is better. How do you know which Godforsaken future candidate you're empowering by letting go of this? It's so shortsighted and stupid. There is no valid argument for letting go of this tradition.

Bullshit indeed.

Must be solipsistically satisfying for you.

You've gotten absolutely shredded in this, which is fine. Hopefully you realize that your occluded view of democrats has you arguing against transparency in government, for the breaking of a rare bipartisan tradition that actually benefits the citizens of the US. We hear you loud and clear; in this instance, you don't care.

 

Why don't you explain the functional difference between what you're doing and what you're describing? You're pissed at the left for condoning alleged lies, deceit, and corruption. In response you go ahead and give shelter for lies, deceit, and corruption... Seriously. That's where you're standing.

 

Your point is irrelevant to the discussion, which has been pointed out time and time and time again, and yet here you sit spewing this same refuted, illogical argument, for no reason beyond partisan gain.

At least you admit you only do it for partisan gain.

 

It is a strategy of denial and distraction.......Mark Twain has opined on it to infinity.

 

Lol no, it's not irrelevant because you say it is.

When the justification for wanting to see the tax returns is based on pure partizan bull****, it's extremely relevant.

 

What lie, deceit or corruption are you talking about? Please tell us what has occurred here in your imagination.

 

Yeah I can see how that might be implied in what I wrote. I apologize. I could have picked my words a little more carefully. What I honestly meant was to emphasize the act of sheltering the possibility of those things existing. Honest mistake.

Anyway, go ahead and explain the functional difference that I described please.