Jake Tapper’s Interview of Rudy Giuliani on Trump Taxes Descends Into Open Mockery

[DonViejo]

by Jon Nicosia | 10:31 am, October 2nd, 2016

Sunday morning’s political chat circuit saw the beginning of fallout from the New York Times‘ bombshell report on a leaked tax document that shows Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may not have paid any federal income tax over a period of as much as 18 years. On CNN’s State of the Union, Trump campaign surrogate Rudy Giuliani took a most unpleasant turn on the roasting spit, as anchor Jake Tapper pressed him on his every talking point, and eventually just openly mocked him.

Giuliani began by contending that Trump is a “genius” for paying no federal income tax for at least two years that we know of, which prompted Taper to ask if paying taxes makes the rest of Americans stupid, but things really took a wrong turn when Giuliani refused to tell a visible stunned Tapper whether or not he, personally, pays any income tax, then repeatedly asserted that Trump could be sued by his business partners if he failed to take advantage of personal income tax provisions.

By the end of the interview, Tapper seemed to have had enough. After confronting him with a 2012 tweet complaining about Americans not paying taxes despite “crippling” government debt, Tapper asked Giuliani if Trump bore any responsibility for the infrastructure problems he routinely rails against, and Giuliani reflexively shouted “No!” as Tapper simultaneously deadpanned “He’s not at all, he’s not at all, no.”

Watch the segment above, from CNN’s State of the Union:

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jake-tappers-interview-of-rudy-giuliani-on-trump-taxes-descends-into-open-mockery/

[unblock]

1. how on earth could business partners sue if you pay too much in taxes?

unless the logic is, if donnie paid federal income taxes, he wouldn't be able to pay what he owes to his creditor, which would damage his business partners?

but of course, the partners wouldn't be suing him over taxes at all, just about running yet another company into the ground.

[Cicada]

3. Partners pay tax on their share of joint tax profit

If trump has a 20% partner in a building then Trump probably prepares the partnership tax return. Each partner must report his share of the profits on his tax return. If Trump failed to take an allowable tax deduction on the partnership tax return that would harm his partner and his partner could sue him.

[unblock]

5. but that's a partnership tax return, not a personal tax return, yes?

[Cicada]

9. Yes but each partner reports his share on his personal tax return, schedule e page 2

[unblock]

10. Does the irs check if partners' schedule e's match?

[George II]

17. Unless his children are part owners and "partners", there are no partners - it's a privately...

...held company of which Trump has given us the impression he is the sole owner.

[maddiemom]

18. Don't you know that the "little people" who were watching couldn't possibly understand the taxes

as applied to Rudy and Donnie? Guilliani gives me the creeps even more than Trump. At least Rudy's not an immediate threat or likely ever to be so. It seemed he was asserting that Bill Clinton was a rapist, which he (Rudy) had never been. I can't see any difference except how the man got women to cheat with (and marry ) him is a mystery. Bill being a more attractive and more powerful man, was unlikely to have resorted to rape, but that's what Rudy was implying (Hey, sure I cheated, but it was consensual. Bill had to force them)!

[oberliner]

2. Giuliani has actually looked worse than Trump in this campaign

Not an easy trick to pull off - but he seems to have done it.

[Cicada]

6. Yes, Rudy is very special.

Christie and Rudy both have awesome skill making a prosecutorial type argument, and both are masters of sophistry, making a case which sounds correct even though it isn't. So they both make me angry when I hear them twist the truth so cleverly. But at least with Christie I don't feel like I have to shower the slime off. Rudy is very very special.

[oberliner]

7. Christie has managed to lay low, relatively speaking

Rudy has been out there front and center on every talk show and serving as his opening act at many rallies.

He has been so far off the rails that I almost cannot believe what I am hearing and seeing, as in the past he seemed relatively reasonable for a Republican (illusory as that may have been).

[tblue37]

12. Also, Rudy is given to unhinged, flying spittle rants. nt

[workinclasszero]

4. Republicans are dirty lawless scum of the earth!

Crooked hypocrite bastards!

Anyone voting republican are voting for known lawbreaking thieves!

[rickford66]

8. Yes Donnie uses the tax code legally but ...

he's also part of the 1% that determines the tax code.

[Generic Brad]

11. Rudy was spinning so much he has to be dizzy

Rudy's argument was completely non-sensical. When has a bank ever sued a borrower because that individual did not take advantage of a tax loophole? How could a person have fiduciary responsibilities to business partners on their personal income tax? And how can someone be considered a genius when they lose nearly a billion dollars in a year in an economy where everyone else was doing pretty good?

If Trump us a genius, it is on the order of Wile E. Coyote.

[Fast Walker 52]

13. they also discussed Trump saying Hillary cheated on Bill

we are truly in insanity territory

[Rex]

14. Considering Trump has stiffed so many other companies and workers it is a wonder

anyone will touch him - I mean besides the Russian mafia. So, anyone want to guess how delinquent his payroll and unemployment taxes are?

I bet Trump is a walking house of cards.

[Helen Borg]

15. Did you notice?

At one point, Giuliani says "take advantage of the tax l..." then he hesitates and says "...laws". Of course they all know they are loopholes...

[George II]

16. Giuliani was stupid in that interview. If he's so close to Trump he'd know that Trump's company....

....is a PRIVATELY HELD company, no shareholders and no business partners. Plus, as pointed out by Tapper, the issue was his PERSONAL taxes, not his corporate taxes.

So, Giuliani knew nothing about what he was talking about.

[Grammy23]

19. Rudy may or may not know what he was talking about. He has talking points to spew out.

What he was hoping was that the private citizen Trump's taxes and his corporation's taxes would be conflated in the minds of viewers. Most of us pay taxes as a private citizen and unless someone points it out to us, may not realize Trump files both as a citizen and a business. Rudy flings so much BS out there it is hard to keep up with the bouncing ball. It would be very helpful if journalists and show hosts pointed that out so viewers don't miss that.