War Of Words Continues Between Trump, Romney Over Tax Returns

Trump has hit back at Romney – who himself came under fire for his business record, personal assets and tax history during the 2012 presidential campaign – calling him “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics”.

This week’s Donald Trump Feud Of The Week ™ finds the Republican frontrunner spatting with – why not, I guess?

As for the audit, Trump said he’s been audited for approximately a dozen years.

‘And luckily, I’m not being audited this year, or last year for that matter, ‘ Rubio uttered.

Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 nominee for president, has called on all candidates to release their past taxes, but said Wednesday, February 24, he thinks there’s a “bombshell” in front-runner Donald Trump’s returns.

Their conclusion: No law exists barring people from releasing their tax returns during an audit. Among those observers was none other than Donald Trump, an enthusiastic supporter of a border wall and mass deportations, but who avoids the phrase that hurt Romney. The Washington Post said those returns showed Romney paid “substantial” taxes in those years and gave Reid four Pinocchios. “You have many religious groups that have been complaining about it. They’ve been complaining about it for a long time”.

“That’s something that would never cause you to be audited”, Koskinen said.

Asked to clarify what he meant when he said he might be being audited because of religion, Trump replied: “Well, maybe because of the fact I am a strong Christian and I feel strongly about it, and maybe there is a bias”.

“I have no problem releasing them”, Rubio said of his own tax returns, finally seizing favorable ground on a financial issue. At last night’s GOP debate, Trump was asked about whether he’d release his returns.

“I’m just going to put you people to rest: Until my audit is finished, very simple, you are not going to see anything”, he said. Similar questions dogged Romney until late in the general election — suggesting that the focus on Trumps taxes may not quickly abate.

“It might not be smart” for Trump to release his returns while under audit, said Robert Kovacev, a tax lawyer at Steptoe & Johnson and a former counsel in the Justice Department’s tax division. Trump also notes he avoids paying too much …

Regardless, Trump doesn’t think a transparent tax return is even relevant. “He is always making things up and no one holds him accountable for it”, Rubio said. “We’re talking about taxes that are already filed – back taxes”. So far, Trump’s Republican rivals have largely targeted each other, fearing to take him on, noted the Monitor’s Linda Feldmann after Tuesday’s Nevada caucuses. Trump unsuccessfully sued Timothy O’Brien, the author of a 2005 book “TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald”, for writing that his worth was between $150 million and $250 million. Goldburd says when a taxpayer is under investigation, they shouldn’t talk to the media about it – only legal counsel. Indeed, I can’t imagine many circumstances where it’s a good idea for anyone to make their tax information public, period.