# What is Trump hiding in tax returns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 13, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927 "2019-05-13T23:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/41 "2019-05-20T22:19:13Z")
I just saw [the AP News story about Judge Mehta’s ruling](https://apnews.com/49d1caabd0124ef1b874eec67302c55d). > [@](#): > > U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said Trump cannot block a House subpoena of financial records. He said the Democratic-led House committee seeking the information has said it believes the documents would help lawmakers consider strengthening ethics and disclosure laws, among other things. > > The committee’s reasons were “valid legislative purposes,” Mehta said, and it was not for him “to question whether the Committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/42 "2019-05-21T08:42:10Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Ties to Russia? Money laundering? His net worth is much lower than he claims? Something else? Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? IMHO Anti-Trumpers are just making themselves look stupid. He doesn’t have to release his tax returns and hasn’t done it. Big whoop. And this could backfire badly: if there’s nothing to see there, then he can portray himself as a victim. If you want him out next year, then concentrate on finding a better person for the job and promote them. Right now you’re just increasing his support. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/43 "2019-05-21T11:09:07Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He doesn’t have to release his tax returns and hasn’t done it. Big whoop. This line of defense may have worked when he was just lying about not being able to release them on the campaign trail and later breaking promises to release them, but now he’s defying a subpoena and lost his first round of the court battle he chose in order not to comply with a legal request. He kinda does have to release them and still is refusing… ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/44 "2019-05-21T11:20:01Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? > … It’s almost as though you haven’t read any of the threads detailing why Trump’s financial records need a look. Here, watch Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House. 4 minutes or so long clip. (And to answer your irrelevant question, if I were running for office, I would release them.) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/45 "2019-05-21T11:36:31Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? > … I’m sorry, but I really love this question. You know I’m a nobody, right? Release my taxes, you say. OK. To whom? If I showed up at say the Chicago Tribune with my taxes and asked to have them published I would hear: “Who are you? Nobody gives a shit.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/46 "2019-05-21T13:17:41Z")
Everything mentioned so far. His ego is worried about not being as rich as he has claimed. What he should be worried about is tax fraud, money laundering, and such. He’s a crook, he knows he’s a crook, everybody knows he’s a crook. He doesn’t care about being a crook. What he does care about is paying the price for his criminal activity and having Congress go over his returns with a fine-toothed comb is something he just can’t tolerate. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/47 "2019-05-21T13:26:35Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? > > IMHO Anti-Trumpers are just making themselves look stupid. He doesn’t have to release his tax returns and hasn’t done it. Big whoop. And this could backfire badly: if there’s nothing to see there, then he can portray himself as a victim. If you want him out next year, then concentrate on finding a better person for the job and promote them. **Right now you’re just increasing his support.** Well, since you brought up stupid arguments, [show me exactly where](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo) Trump’s support has gone up. Please. Maybe you can also look at question 5c on page 11 and tell me [why you drag your pro-Trump attitudes into so many threads.](http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/03/20/rel4c.-.trump.and.russia.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/48 "2019-05-21T14:28:12Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? > > IMHO Anti-Trumpers are just making themselves look stupid. He doesn’t have to release his tax returns and hasn’t done it. Big whoop. And this could backfire badly: if there’s nothing to see there, then he can portray himself as a victim. If you want him out next year, then concentrate on finding a better person for the job and promote them. Right now you’re just increasing his support. You have a known crook move next door to you with the potential of doing you an your neighborhood great harm. Do you wait for him to move out our do you call the cops. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/49 "2019-05-21T14:31:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > IMHO Anti-Trumpers are just making themselves look stupid. It is not the\* Anti\*-Trumpers who look stupid. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Render](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/50 "2019-05-21T22:23:45Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why haven’t you released your tax returns? What are you hiding? I have released my tax returns. Why would you assume that I haven’t? Everyone I know here has, everyone I work with and everyone I’ve met here. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/51 "2019-05-22T01:57:30Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > He doesn’t have to release his tax returns and hasn’t done it. Big whoop. Correction. He does have to release them and he hasn’t done it. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/52 "2019-05-23T23:30:25Z")
Every major enterprise Trump has been involved in that gotten any kind of a close look has been just full to the brim of fraud and bad faith dealings. His casinos, his family’s real estate holdings, his campaign, his university, his charitable foundation. So: fraud. Mountains and mountains of fraud. Likely some of which is within the statute of limitations. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/53 "2019-05-25T03:42:12Z")
There’s nothing in them. Refusing to release them keeps everyone focused on them and not looking into things that might actually be actionable. Does anyone here really believe teams of agents hasn’t already been over his returns a dozen times without drawing up audit summons if there was something there? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2019, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/54 "2019-05-25T13:45:40Z")
Remember Romney saying he guaranteed Trump would never release those tax returns. I have no idea what’s in there, but he is desperate to hide it, that’s for sure. I love thinking about how he must be losing his mind and screaming at aides to figure out some way to block New York State from releasing them to Democrats in Congress. “I’m president! Send the Army in to Albany!!” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/55 "2019-05-28T17:49:27Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Does anyone here really believe teams of agents hasn’t already been over his returns a dozen times without drawing up audit summons if there was something there? There’s probably nothing that is self-contained proof of fraud. Generally, the way you find fraud is not that a single document is self-evidently fraudulent, but that a collection of documents make different legally binding statements that aren’t consistent with each other. I think that teams of agents are not going to find everything, because tax records alone are insufficient. Like, there’s no “money laundering” line item on the tax return, so it’s not like there’s going to be a smoking gun in the tax returns themselves. There are also obvious issues with having part of the executive branch of the US government investigate its head. Give them to [investigative journalists, though](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html), and you’ll get a lot more. This is one of the primary arguments [in favor of making tax returns public](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/opinion/sunday/taxes-public.html). > [@the article](#): > > Journalists soon began to note the curious absence of some conspicuously wealthy people from the lists of top taxpayers. > … > In Norway, where tax records have been public since the founding of the modern state in 1814, a newspaper put the records online in 2001. One study estimated that the records’ greater availability caused a 3.1 percent increase in the reported incomes of self-employed Norwegians over the next three years, perhaps because they feared exposure. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/56 "2019-05-28T22:20:46Z")
The other thing that might be there, that wouldn’t involve any lawbreaking at all but would humiliate Trump, is evidence that he’s not a billionaire and/or not a successful businessman. Assets are not directly declared on tax returns, but if you have thirty years of anemic or negative income, you’re either not really a billionaire or you’re a billionaire who can’t seem to figure out how to use your money to make more money, at least compared to your peers. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927/57 "2019-05-29T01:17:54Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > The other thing that might be there, that wouldn’t involve any lawbreaking at all but would humiliate Trump, is evidence that he’s not a billionaire and/or not a successful businessman. Assets are not directly declared on tax returns, but if you have thirty years of anemic or negative income, you’re either not really a billionaire or you’re a billionaire who can’t seem to figure out how to use your money to make more money, at least compared to your peers. This is probably what he is most concerned about. He’s too stupid to understand that he’s basically been a crook for his entire life. And a poor one at that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-trump-hiding-in-tax-returns/833927.md?page=2)