Donald Trump and the Fellowship of the Alternative Facts (Part 14)

[GreyhoundFan]

Not Agent Orange, but related to taxes and the alt-right: "IRS punishes Richard Spencer’s white-nationalist group for failing to file returns"

Quote

The nonprofit organization run by prominent white nationalist Richard Spencer has been stripped of its tax-exempt status after failing to file financial returns for three years.

The Washington Post reported in December that Spencer’s think tank, the National Policy Institute, had been allowed by the federal government to operate in financial secrecy since 2013. The IRS, Spencer said Tuesday, told him a few days ago that his Virginia-based organization had lost tax-exempt status because it hadn’t submitted the necessary records when it was supposed to.

Spencer blamed the mistake on a former bookkeeper and said he had already begun the reapplication process, which could take months.

The institute, which promotes a form of American apartheid, has functioned as a public charity that relies heavily on contributions. The IRS almost always requires such organizations to file returns that detail where the money comes from and how it is spent. For reasons the agency still hasn’t explained, Spencer’s group had been categorized among those not obligated to file any returns whatsoever, according to an examination by the Post.

...

Before this year’s presidential campaign, Spencer and his fellow alt-right members had promoted their pro-white ideals mostly in online obscurity. But President Trump’s rhetoric on undocumented immigrants, Muslims and political correctness helped introduce their cause to the mainstream.

Spencer drew international attention in November when video of him shouting “Hail Trump!” at a white nationalist conference — and the Nazi salutes his declaration elicited — went viral. The night before, at a private dinner for conference attendees, Spencer had joked that they should “party like it’s 1933,” referencing the year Adolf Hitler was appointed Germany’s chancellor.

Groups that monitor Spencer and other white supremacists were unaware that the IRS had not demanded that his organization file returns, and they objected when they were informed by the Post last year.

“If they’re going to claim tax breaks for their donors, we should know where the money is coming from and what the money is being spent on,” said Southern Poverty Law Center spokeswoman Heidi Beirich. “It’s important for the IRS to hold them to the same standard they hold the rest of us.”

 

Back to Lawrence O'Donnell: They are going to go over the 1040 line by line. Unfortunately, I have to sign off and get some sleep, I have an early meeting in the morning. Darn, this is too interesting. Time to fire up the DVR...

Ooh, they just got the document online: Here

And Agent Orange Junior is speaking out about this. Darn, I can't go to sleep now....

[quiversR4hunting]

13 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Spencer and his fellow alt-right members...

Thinking of alt-right, anyone see the fb video about white Americans are screwing up America?

And back to "the last word"- teaser Donald Jr (who I find swarmy) has responded to TRMS releasing the 2 pages. And they went to a commercial ...

Oh and TRMS and the David Cay Johnston* websites have both crashed by the end of TRMS.

* his website is DC reports, it finally came to me

[Cartmann99]

The Rachel Maddow Show segment discussed above is up on her show site:

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/exclusive-look-at-trump-s-2005-tax-return-898054723694

I'll watch it later tonight. I'm watching an episode of Columbo with my husband right now. 

Edited to add the link to the segment from The Last Word about Trump's 2005 taxes:

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/donald-trump-s-2005-tax-return-why-now-898119747525

[quiversR4hunting]

@GreyhoundFan good job, seems like the 2 of us made this a hot topic. Ha!

Seriously, to everyone interested in this, you really need to watch both shows. The numbers and the nuances of the taxes is hard to explain or summarize on FJ. Especially since I don't understand it all and they are giving info fast and furious 

[GreyhoundFan]

Oh, for pity sake. I was checking the NYT before logging off. Check this out about his nominee for SCOTUS: "Neil Gorsuch Has Web of Ties to Secretive Billionaire"

Quote

The publicity-shy billionaire Philip F. Anschutz inherited an oil and gas firm and built it into an empire that has sprawled into telecommunications, railroads, real estate, resorts, sports teams, stadiums, movies and conservative publications like The Weekly Standard and The Washington Examiner.

Mr. Anschutz’s influence is especially felt in his home state of Colorado, where years ago Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, a Denver native, the son of a well-known Colorado Republican and now President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, was drawn into his orbit.

As a lawyer at a Washington law firm in the early 2000s, Judge Gorsuch represented Mr. Anschutz, his companies and lower-ranking business executives as an outside counsel. In 2006, Mr. Anschutz successfully lobbied Colorado’s lone Republican senator and the Bush administration to nominate Judge Gorsuch to the federal appeals court. And since joining the court, Judge Gorsuch has been a semiregular speaker at the mogul’s annual dove-hunting retreats for the wealthy and politically prominent at his Eagles Nest Ranch.

...

It's a lengthy article, but worth a read.

2 minutes ago, quiversR4hunting said:

@GreyhoundFan good job, seems like the 2 of us made this a hot topic. Ha!

Seriously, to everyone interested in this, you really need to watch both shows. The numbers and the nuances of the taxes is hard to explain or summarize on FJ. Especially since I don't understand it all and they are giving info fast and furious 

LOL, I guess we are hot mamas!! And I second the suggestion for folks to watch both shows. I got lost with all the numbers.

[JMarie]

6 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Aww, poor Ivanka, whatever will she live on? : "Ivanka Trump brand will shut down jewelry line"

So they will focus on "costume jewelry", no more $10K pieces of jewelry for sale. Maybe she'll also start selling Scotch Tape so Branch Trumpvidians can wear their ties like daddy dearest.

Quote

Klem told The New York Times in a statement that the brand is now committed to "offering solution-oriented products at accessible price points."

Jewelry is not a solution-oriented product.  Well, maybe it is if your problem is not having enough stuff made in China.

[Cartmann99]

43 minutes ago, JMarie said:

Jewelry is not a solution-oriented product.  Well, maybe it is if your problem is not having enough stuff made in China.

So, you no longer have health insurance because of Trumpcare? Here, have some costume jewelry from Ivanka Trump. It's a "solution-oriented product". 

[sawasdee]

There is a UK TV journalist called Jeremy Paxman, who was renowned for not letting politicians deflect a question. On at least one occasion, the interviewee tore off his mike and stalked out of the studio.

I have this wistful dream of Paxman and Tangerine Toddler facing off, preferably on Faux News for the greatest exposure.......

[GreyhoundFan]

From the WaPo: "Did Trump have his own tax return leaked? That was the big question after Maddow."

Quote

It wasn’t the smoking gun President Trump’s critics had hoped for. Far from it.

Some even thought MSNBC host Rachel Maddow’s apparent scoop on Trump’s leaked 2005 tax return made him look good. After all, the New York Times had once suggested that he had avoided taxes, and others that he was faking the extent of his wealth.

The White House circulated a response before the segment aired, complete with its go-to “dishonest media” broadside.

“You know you are desperate for ratings when you are willing to violate the law to push a story about two pages of tax returns from over a decade ago,” a White House spokesman said anonymously in a statement.

Donald Trump Jr. seized on the report minutes after the show ended, tweeting, “Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #Trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is $ that he paid $44mm in taxes!”

The documents revealed nothing about the president’s financial ties, the subject of intense scrutiny from Democrats and others who think Trump may have concealed business relationships in Russia.

All told, Trump seemed to make it through the segment in pretty good shape — so good that a cyberspace chorus wondered for hours after the fact: Did Trump leak his own tax return?

Feeding the theory was the recipient of the two-page summary of the return, David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and tax expert, who discussed it on Maddow’s show Tuesday night. The documents showed that Trump had earned more than $150 million in 2005 and had paid $36.5 million in income tax — hardly the game-changing exposé some believed it would be.

“It’s entirely possible that Donald sent this to me,” Johnston told Maddow. “It’s a possibility, and it could have been leaked by someone in his direction.”

Others noted that the tax return was labeled “client copy,” ostensibly indicating that it came from someone close to him, rather than the IRS.

...

“So,” said a blogger at Redstate.com, “either Donald Trump leaked this himself, or someone with a ‘client copy’ did. Given that there appears to be nothing embarrassing about the return whatsoever, and the world is laughing at Maddow, my money’s on Trump being the leaker. It’s probably the most favorable return for his narrative in existence.”

...

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) went further, saying Trump may have released the documents to divert attention from debate over the GOP health-care bill and the investigation into the administration’s ties to Russia

...

The right-wing radio host Joe Walsh, meanwhile, pondered whether Trump was trying to “troll” Maddow

...

Trump has also proven himself a master of deflection, habitually taking to Twitter to distract from the day’s controversies. As David Smith of the Guardian noted, “It would be a classic Trump tactic to deflect attention from his troubles with wire-tapping claims and replacing the healthcare law.”

...

Yeah, they talked about the possibility that Agent Orange was the one behind the leak. I can see it happening.

[sawasdee]

PS Paxman once asked the same question 20 times to force the politician (Michael Howard) to answer the question asked! (I actually can't remember if he ever answered...).

[Dark Matters]

I don't know at what point a president is expected to release his/her tax returns but maybe it's time to make that a requirement (by law) when you start campaigning for the office.  As soon as you throw your hat into the ring, X number of prior year returns must be released for public review.  No waiting for a nomination and no waiting until they actually get elected.  I want to know before the person is in office, not after.

[47of74]

I see man baby is forging ahead with gutting environmental regulations.

money.cnn.com/2017/03/14/news/economy/automakers-fuel-economy-trump/

Quote

President Trump is expected to announce a new review of federal auto fuel economy and emissions rules Wednesday at an event in Michigan.

A senior White House official said the administration plans to review standards approved by the Environmental Protection Agency just ahead of Trump's inauguration, saying the regulations may not be "economically feasible."

The review, which automakers have been seeking from the Trump administration for many weeks, opens the door to lower fuel economy requirements and less stringent controls on carbon dioxide emissions.

Hey Orange Ferret Face, fuck you.  I am still buying an EV. 

[RoseWilder]

Rep. Eric Swalwell has a section on his website that explains the Trump-Russia stuff really well, and he's updated it: 

 

[RoseWilder]

I think it's public knowledge already that Trump and Ivanka don't actually practice what they preach about companies bringing their workers back to America. But someone dug a little deeper to see just how far off the mark Ivanka is: 

 

[RoseWilder]

Well color me shocked, Trump lied again: 

 

[formergothardite]

How is this not enough to start getting him impeached? 

[JMarie]

2 hours ago, Dark Matters said:

I don't know at what point a president is expected to release his/her tax returns but maybe it's time to make that a requirement (by law) when you start campaigning for the office.  As soon as you throw your hat into the ring, X number of prior year returns must be released for public review.  No waiting for a nomination and no waiting until they actually get elected.  I want to know before the person is in office, not after.

New Jersey's trying to fix this.

http://newjersey.news12.com/news/new-jersey-law-would-require-tax-returns-from-presidential-candidates-to-appear-on-ballot-1.12990844

Quote

The bill would require any presidential or vice presidential candidate release at least five years of returns to get onto New Jersey's ballot. They would also have to allow for the tax returns to be released to the public

 

[GreyhoundFan]

45 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

How is this not enough to start getting him impeached? 

I don't understand it either. If it had been anyone else, Ryan and Chappass and crew would have hauled him before Congress for interminable hearings. I'm wondering if the tangerine toddler managed to get dirt on each of the leading Repubs in Congress, so he's holding something over their heads?

 

Agent Orange had to be a bully once more: "Trump summoned D.C. mayor to Oval Office for storm that brought 2.5 inches of snow"

Quote

The snow forecast for D.C. was shrinking Monday afternoon, and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser was growing less concerned about its potential impact when her senior adviser received an unexpected call: President Trump wanted a briefing from Bowser on storm preparations.

To say the request came as a surprise at City Hall, two blocks from the White House, would be an understatement.

Presidents have over the years invited D.C. mayors to ceremonial and political events, but no one could recall a D.C. mayor being summoned to the Oval Office to brief the president — not for Nor’easters that paralyzed the city; not when a 2011 earthquake damaged city landmarks; not even after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing,” said D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D), who has represented Ward 2 since 1991.

...

“It may be benign, but it certainly has the impression of ‘Who’s in charge here?’ and ‘We’d like you to inform us of what you’re doing because we’re superior to you,’ ” said D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), whose committee oversees snow removal.

...

 

[RosyDaisy]

How is this not enough to start getting him impeached? 

I think Republicans are waiting until after their pet projects are a done deal then they will start the impeachment process. Be grateful that Sessions wasn't chosen for VP.

[GreyhoundFan]

"Why leaking his own tax return would be a smart media play by Trump". There are five reasons listed that indicate that it would be smart of Agent Orange to release the limited info that was published last night. It's worth a read. I could see any or all of the reasons being part of the toddler's limited thought process.

 

This ticked me off: "Mulvaney’s suggestion that a person making one-fifth his pay couldn’t afford a doctor". It's pitiful that the "budget director" has no concept of facts and figures. Also, it must be nice to be able to afford two separate health insurance plans. Many people who have family members with special medical needs can barely afford one.

 

[sawasdee]

Going back to my Paxman comment earlier, one thing that really throws me is the supine attitude of even partisan anti tRump journalists to him and his surrogates. This would not fly in the UK. Political journalists ask pointed and cogent questions, which require an answer or very obvious evasion. Few go as far as Paxman's 20 repetitions of the question, but they will all probe much more than I have seen any US journalist doing.

Is it that they are scared of not getting continued access? In the UK, the BBC is still a major news source, and failure to acquit oneself there leads a politician to unfavourable print coverage. I cannot think of any UK politician arrogant enough to deny the BBC coverage, but maybe refusing to talk to any major audience channel except Faux would be acceptable in today's US climate? I am genuinely curious here - I don't understand why more of the TT's spokespeople aren't having their feet held to the fire.

[RoseWilder]

I haven't seen this hit the mainstream news yet, but I'm looking forward to how much it will piss off Trump: 

 

[Cartmann99]

7 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I see man baby is forging ahead with gutting environmental regulations.

money.cnn.com/2017/03/14/news/economy/automakers-fuel-economy-trump/

Hey Orange Ferret Face, fuck you.  I am still buying an EV. 

We're still deciding between a used plug-in hybrid or an used electric vehicle for our next vehicle. Is Trump going to try and bring back leaded gasoline again?

[RoseWilder]

I love George Takei so much!

 

[PreciousPantsofDoom]

4 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"Why leaking his own tax return would be a smart media play by Trump". There are five reasons listed that indicate that it would be smart of Agent Orange to release the limited info that was published last night. It's worth a read. I could see any or all of the reasons being part of the toddler's limited thought process.

 

Interesting.   My first reaction to hearing about the surfacing of the tax data was to wonder where it came from and why it appeared.

If it came from someone wanting to take him down(from inside his own party or from outside it), then the first 2 pages of a 2005 return are not enough because it doesn't contain the details about his sources of income, plus it's from over a decade ago.  So sort of a damp squib in terms of releasing a bombshell.

I do think the most likely culprit to leaking this is Mr LL Pantsonfire himself -or somebody doing it at his behest.  Trumpy  is just dumb enough to think this will satisfy those clamoring to see his recent full tax returns.  Plus, it does show that he made a lot of money that year and did pay some taxes on it.    Not to mention it did that thing he loves to do-distract from even more weasely matters.   And After all, he is stupid enough to think that all of the public is dumb enough to believe most of the stupid crap he tries to pull. 

I suppose it could also be a supporter who discovered they had the return (I believe it was stamped Client Copy) and decided on their own to release it, thinking it made  Donnie Dickhead look good and might take the pressure off him to release more tax files. 

Nah,  I still think it came from the Prez's fat little fingers...