Bernie Sanders declines to say when he will release tax returns

[brooklynite]

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders sidestepped questions Thursday about when he will release his tax returns, with the Vermont independent hinting he could fulfill his six-week old pledge to make public 10 years of tax returns on April 15 -- Tax Day.

Yet, as quickly as Sanders suggested that, he appeared to backtrack and wouldn't commit that he would release them then.

"Do you know what April 15th is? It's Tax Day," Sanders told CNN on Capitol Hill when asked if there was an issue to releasing his taxes. "So, I think we want to make sure we have all of them together and as I said, they will be released soon."

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/04/politics/bernie-sanders-tax-returns/index.html

[empedocles]

1. Seems like Sanders is going to brazen it out on tax returns, - ala trump

[NurseJackie]

21. It's a LOSE-LOSE situation for him either way. But someone has cynically decided...

It's a LOSE-LOSE situation for him either way. But someone has cynically decided that (in spite of all the negatives) NOT releasing his full tax returns is somehow "less damaging" than ACTUALLY releasing them.

Think about THAT for a minute.

What could they possibly be hiding that is worse than the dishonor and hypocrisy of NOT releasing his taxes? We don't know... that's why we are asking!

Is something shady going on? The American people deserve to know.

Is this just a matter of bookkeeping and paperwork incompetence? The American people deserve to know.

Delay after delay, excuse after excuse, deadline after deadline, broken promises for YEARS. Why? What are they hiding?

[Tipperary]

32. This.

I do not believe he has any intention of releasing them, ever.

[NurseJackie]

36. Honestly, I think it's probably Jane's finances that are the problem. He's protecting his wife...

Honestly, I think it's probably Jane's finances that are the problem. He's protecting his wife to protect himself.

This would explain why there's scuttle about the possibility that they're working to retroactively "undo" their married-filing-jointly returns and then re-file individually.

That way, when finally forced to release the tax returns, it would be ONLY HIS "individual" tax return, MINUS Jane and whatever dodgy elements that they may have been trying to avoid exposing to the public.

But that STILL would be problematic for them (if true, if possible) because people would wonder what is it about Jane's finances needed to be hidden? People would wonder how they (as a married couple) benefited from it all.

All I'm trying to say here is that this is a NO WIN situation for them both. They should have KNOWN IN ADVANCE that this would be an issue. They could have been PREPARED IN ADVANCE to (technically) divest themselves from each other's tax returns (and I'm not even sure if that's a legal possibility anyway).

It's still a great big "FUCK YOU" to the voters and an equally offensive "KISS MY ASS" to the Democratic party and the other candidates. I just can't see any way that this works well for them. Either of them.

[Tipperary]

38. Yep. It makes him seem dishonest as well.

They are hiding something. This continual lying about releasing them “soon” is not a good look. I have never liked Sanders, but this issue has made me distrust him immensely.

[leftynyc]

40. Same here

I WILL NOT be happy if releasing tax returns is something that gets taken off the table because Sanders is a coward who wont release his.

[GemDigger]

2. Bernie, your word is not worth much.

[Cha]

11. brawawaaaa....

Link to tweet

[GemDigger]

12. Makes sense to me.

[dem4decades]

3. Is he under audit? Bernie, the Democratic(?) Trump?

[UniteFightBack]

4. I'm sorry but I'm taking that as he is releasing them by April 15th so we should all look forward

to seeing them. I mean what is the problemo....he should have enough dough and connections to fix up whatever needs fixin. He should of taken care of this long ago..if it could not be remedied than you don't fucking run. Geesh.

[Gothmog]

5. From the Hoarse Whisperer

Link to tweet

?s=20

[Cha]

8. So it went from BS saying "..soon.." to

maybe fucking Never? What's on those Tax Returns!?!!

Link to tweet

[Bleacher Creature]

31. The thought of him as our nominee keeps me up at night.

There's clearly something problematic with his taxes, because there's no other explanation for his behavior. His nomination also would demoralize all of the women and people of color who led the party to a blue wave last year.

This isn't 2016, so it's not likely to happen, but I won't be comfortable until he ultimately drop out.

[Cha]

34. The same here, Bleacher Creature..

There is an update on those BS Tax Returns, tho.

I read he said on The Daily Show that he was going to release the Taxes on April 15th.

[The Genealogist]

6. "Sen. Bernie Sanders sidestepped questions Thursday about when he will release his tax returns"

If he sidesteps any more, he is going to be in the Potomac River.

[NastyRiffraff]

7. He's not going to release them

If he were going to he would have done it by now. He's stalling and hoping people will forget. Or that his fans will bully people to forget.

[Cha]

9. Brawawaaaa

Link to tweet

[jberryhill]

10. Jesus. As if this was some new request

Fuck that noise

That’s a completely full of shit response.

[dlk]

13. There are States that Won't Let Bernie on the Ballot if He Doesn't Release His Tax Returns

California comes to mind.

[still_one]

14. I have no idea what he is thinking, but from my perspective this is about transparency.

If and until he releases them, his credibility will be questionable

[4now]

15. That reminds me of somebody else

[MarvinGardens]

16. Maybe his returns are still under audit.

[ecstatic]

17. He's eroding trust. Does he not see the way

so many people are starting to view him?

[watoos]

27. Has Cory released his?

I missed it.

[unc70]

18. Sanders on TDS: ten years of taxes release on April 15

Last edited Fri Apr 5, 2019, 01:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Not sure what half of DUers will discuss after that.

Edit to add: I expect the actual release to be a couple of days after April 15. Not surprised at all the people who want to play "gotcha".

[ehrnst]

20. What's stopping him from releasing taxes that he's already filed in previous years?

Any ideas?

Trump kept saying that he couldn't release his until the IRS was done with them. The IRS released a statement that he was actually free to release them at any time.

[unc70]

22. No idea why unless he is trolling his detractors

At this early stage in the campaigns, I am mostly ignoring the noise and bickering, and I'm getting on with the rest of my life -- foreign travel, etc. Also not worrying when the Muller report will be released; confident it will be before too long.

Since you asked, my best guess is that Sanders has planned since announcing to release ten years including 2018 soon after April 15, possibly with a speech or event focused on tax inequality. The rest could be trolling. Many of his loudest detractors look silly already, sillier if he releases ten years in April or even May, and there is no further story. Reminds me of how Obama played the Repubs with his birth certificate.

[ehrnst]

25. "Trolling his detractors?"

Are you saying that you think that he is deliberately delaying releasing them in order to create buzz that his supporters can then claim was "persecution for no reason?"

[unc70]

30. Not exactly

More like he is doing the release on his own schedule for whatever reasons. If it also distracts a bunch of his detractors, that's an extra benefit.

As I said, I haven't really thought much about this. Just thinking out loud. If I were part of his campaign, I would be tempted to tease this along a few more weeks.

But who knows.

[ehrnst]

33. "Distracts a bunch of his detractors, that's an extra benefit."

Distracting from what - what would he want people to be distracted away from? Why is that a benefit?

If I were part of his campaign, I would be tempted to tease this along a few more weeks.

Like I said, that sounds like you are saying that you think he is/should be deliberately "teasing" out release in order to increase the buzz, so hsi supporters can have a reason to say all the "tax return nonesense" was persecuting him for nothing.

However, his obvious anger at being reminded that he has delayed and repromised (so much so that an aide stepped in to stop Tapper from talking more about it) makes me think that he is not "teasing," but is irked at dissent or hard questions by a journalist. If he was, then he would have been much cooler, and happy that Tapper was bringing it up.

But who knows?

[namahage]

26. So which is it?

On April 15 (as many have claimed he said on TDS, even though his actual words used do not literally specify that), or "soon after" it?

Because past experience has shown that "soon" has different meanings for different people.

Oh, and the last thing we need is a President who trolls Democrats--we have one of those already.

[leftynyc]

41. Wonderful

A potential candidate that trolls Democrats. Isn't that special?

[Gothmog]

23. All Bernie is doing here is providing political cover for trump not releasing his tax returns

Link to tweet

[YessirAtsaFact]

29. Yes, he's normalizing Trump's refusal to release his tax returns

I hope he releases them this month but I expect another delay, the another, etc.

[ehrnst]

35. Looks like it. (nt)

[ehrnst]

24. I think Bernie may still be unhappy with Jake Tapper because it was an interview with Jake

where he said that he had released his tax returns that led to a fact check by WAPO that showed he had not.

[watoos]

28. My personal feelings are,

if your candidate hasn't released 10 years of his/her taxes you have no business bashing Bernie.

As another poster put it, if Bernie doesn't release his taxes he is toast.

Now, time for me to start a pro Tulsi thread.

[ehrnst]

37. I don't think that bringing up his long promised, undelivered full returns is "bashing"

and his inconsistency on and anger at being asked about the topic is relevant to his credibility, and ability to deal with the free press no matter who one supports.

[NurseJackie]

39. Oh, please! Nobody here is bashing Bernie.

Oh, please! Nobody here is bashing Bernie. Nobody.

[Gothmog]

42. Bernie Sanders is "providing political cover" for Donald Trump not releasing his tax returns,

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

43. Stephanie Ruhl-Could Bernie Sanders' tax returns drive his supporters away?

Link to tweet