Politics

Update on Some of the Other Donald Trump Scandals

October 14th 2016

The leaked recording of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaking casually about sexual assault in 2005 has been at the center of the nation's attention for the past week. But by no means is it the only scandal Trump faces in the final weeks before Election Day.

In case you missed it, here are the latest developments on those other controversies that you might've missed.

1. Trump's taxes.

donald-trump AP/Evan Vucci - apimages.com

  • At the second presidential debate on Sunday, Trump essentially admitted that he's used tax loopholes to put off paying federal income taxes for an unspecified number of years after claiming a $916 million loss in 1995. The New York Times reported that the loss could've enabled Trump to put off these taxes for up to 18 years.
  • Trump tried to downplay the issue by suggesting that other wealthy Americans, such as billionaire investor Warren Buffett, have similarly avoided paying federal income taxes. Buffett released a statement on Monday rejecting Trump's claim, writing that he's paid federal income taxes since 1944.
  • Trump has not yet released his tax returns — something that every presidential candidate for a major party has done for nearly 40 years.
  • The candidate told Fox News that he is undergoing a routine audit of his finances and "... when the audits complete I'll release my return."
  • Forbes' Kelly Phillips Erb cast doubt in February on Trump's reasoning for not releasing his returns. She wrote:

While an audit could result in a change (or two) to his returns, it does not change what Trump filed, signing “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return and accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are true, correct, and complete.” In other words, no matter what happens as a result of the audit, what Trump submitted, he did so claiming that it was true at the time. If the IRS makes an adjustment (which happens, even with the best prepared returns), it shouldn’t substantially change the nature of the returns. And if the IRS makes no adjustment, then there was no harm, no foul, in releasing those returns. Trump could release those returns at any time.

2. The Donald J. Trump Foundation.

Trump TowerWikimedia - wikimedia.org

  • After announcing that it had launched investigation into Trump's private foundation, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, last month, the New York Attorney General's office ordered the foundation to cease soliciting donations on October 3. The foundation reportedly violated state law by asking for donations without registering "as a charity soliciting money," The Washington Post reported.
  • Twitter users helped The Post's David Fahrenthold solve a mystery about the largest contribution ever recorded by the foundation. It turns out that the $264,000 the Trump Foundation claimed to have donated to the Central Park Conservancy in 1989 might have actually come from two of Trump's for-profit businesses.

Here's the thread:

  • Trump's campaign released a statement in September regarding Fahrenthold's extensive reporting on the Trump Foundation, saying the Post had "gotten their facts wrong." The statement continues:

There was not, and could not be, any intent or motive for the Trump Foundation to make improper payments. All contributions are reported to the IRS, and all Foundation donations are publicly disclosed. Mr. Trump is generous both with his money and with his time. He has provided millions of dollars to fund his Foundation and a multitude of other charitable causes.

3. Trump University.

donald-trumpFlickr/Max Goldberg - flic.kr

  • A federal judge declined a request from one of Trump's lawyers to postpone a trial concerning a class action lawsuit against Trump University. Former Trump U students will face Trump at the trial, which is being held on November 28.
  • The former students "claim they were cheated into paying as much as $35,000 for real-estate investment seminars" and "allege they were lured by false promises that the seminars would be taught by instructors who were hand-picked by Trump and that they would learn the billionaire’s investment secrets," Bloomberg reported.
  • In a statement on his website, Trump called for this lawsuit to be dismissed and claimed:

"... students who participated in Trump University were provided a substantive, valuable education based upon a curriculum developed by professors from Northwestern University, Columbia Business School, Stanford University and other respected institutions."

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