Harry Reid manages to turn Romney’s tax returns into a good story for Romney
While we were focused on T-SPLOST, the presidential campaign marched on. Which is not to say it moved forward, in any normal sense of the word.
The latest moment in the summer silly season comes courtesy of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, employing the “when did you stop beating your wife?” technique toward Mitt Romney’s tax returns. From the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Sen. Harry Reid caused a stir this week when he told an interviewer that Mitt Romney hasn’t released more of his tax returns because “he didn’t pay taxes for 10 years.” On Wednesday, Reid doubled down on the charge. …
“I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. “I have had a number of people tell me that.”
Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.”
“I don’t think the burden should be on me,” Reid said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”
This is, not to put too fine a point on it, un-American.
You see, in this country, the burden of proof is on the accuser. That is the standard in criminal cases, and it informs our sense of propriety in the court of public opinion.
This is why neither 9/11 “truthers” nor Obama “birthers” have gotten any traction with the broader public: Their respective “cases” — to use another word loosely — rely on accusations they can’t prove and an implication the accused should prove they’ve done nothing wrong. That’s not how it works in this country.
For good measure, Reid also suggested Romney’s own deceased father would be disappointed in his son. I’m glad to know Reid’s tastelessness knows no bounds.
The good news is that the senator’s claim is likely to shift the focus from Romney to those jumping the shark while badgering him to release his past tax returns. After all, when you’ve lost Jon Stewart …
(Note: If you click that Jon Stewart link, you should expect to hear some language we don’t allow on AJC blogs. And no, I’m not going to defend the claims on the Fox & Friends clips he shows at the end.)
– By Kyle Wingfield
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988 comments Add your comment
md
August 2nd, 2012
1:12 pm
“Did the IRS make his returns public? I hadn’t heard anything about that.”
That wasn’t the statement…..it was a “tax matter”, and it certainly was made public.
Numbers-R-US
August 2nd, 2012
1:13 pm
You people do not need to see Ann’s secrets on maximizing medical deductions for show horses.
Mr_B
August 2nd, 2012
1:13 pm
“Because he doesn’t have to.”
Neither does he have to elected POTUS, despite his sense of entitlement.
Eat a Peach
August 2nd, 2012
1:14 pm
Kyle
Do you make any predictions for the Presidential race? If so, how far out do you make it?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 2nd, 2012
1:14 pm
Somehow, I don’t think Romney was expecting PJ’s vote this year, anyway.
Nor was he expecting anybody’s vote who have been calling for his tax returns to be released.
Jefferson
August 2nd, 2012
1:15 pm
Santorium say he was the worse republican to run against the president, now didn’t he. He was right.
Tealiban Party
August 2nd, 2012
1:15 pm
Don’t Tread
August 2nd, 2012
11:33 am
House Republicans want to turn this country into another fascist state (with themselves in charge, of course) where they can level baseless charges at anyone they want and the accused have to prove their innocence.
As far as they’re concerned, to hell with freedom and individual rights, “we’re right and you’re wrong”.
(There I fixed it for ya…. See Daryl Issa, Michele Bachmann as examples….)
Jefferson
August 2nd, 2012
1:16 pm
Ann walks like she has oil wells in her back yard.
Legal Eagle
August 2nd, 2012
1:17 pm
Information contained in one’s Tax Return is protected by law. It is a Federal offense, punishable by imprisonment to disclose information contained within someone’s tax return without written permission. Reid should be investigated AND if he later claims that the statement was an outright lie, Romney should sue him for defamation.
labrat58
August 2nd, 2012
1:17 pm
When will obama release: The Khalidi Tape/State Senate Papers/Academic Transcripts/Book Proposal/Medical Records/Small Dollar Donors/The “Real” White House Guest List/Countless FOIA Requests/Health Reform Negotiations/Fast and Furious Documents? How about liberals shut up or walk the walk. I can’t imagine living life without integrity or in other words being a liberal.
Jefferson
August 2nd, 2012
1:19 pm
Its on Romney’s shoe and he can’t get it off.
Joe Mama
August 2nd, 2012
1:21 pm
Legal Eagle — “It is a Federal offense, punishable by imprisonment to disclose information contained within someone’s tax return without written permission. Reid should be investigated”
IIRC, that statute works the same way as the one that pertains to classified material works; it’s only applicable to someone who is *authorized* to see the material and who then mishandles or communicates it to someone who’s not likewise authorized. If that not-authorized person then communicates it to others who are themselves also not authorized, no additional offense has taken place.
IIRC, of course, it’s been a few years since I reviewed those statutes closely.
Numbers-R-US
August 2nd, 2012
1:22 pm
“In order to afford just one $250,000 tax cut for somebody like Mr. Romney, 125 families like yours would have to pay another $2,000 in taxes each and every year,” Obama told a crowd in Mansfield, Ohio, on Wednesday.
“Does that sound like a good plan for economic growth?” Obama asked the crowd, which screamed back, “No!”
Perhaps now would be a good time for Mitt to provide some details regarding those US jobs he created while heading up that batch of Bain companies that he stashed away in those Cayman Island post office boxes.
compromise
August 2nd, 2012
1:22 pm
“Ann walks like she has oil wells in her back yard.”
And he probably “gets his money for nothing and his chicks for free” What are you, simple?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 2nd, 2012
1:22 pm
Legal Eagles, first off, Romney is a public figure, and not subject to defamation laws as you or I would be, so that dog doesn’t hunt.
Second, he also relayed the source of his information, that being a former Bain employee. While I have no doubt that this employee might have heard about such a thing in causal conversation, given the heretofore reticence of Romney in discussing his wealth and finances, I doubt that any such conversation took place at Bain from Romney.
In other words, the employee was either lying, or doesn’t exist.
md
August 2nd, 2012
1:23 pm
“Santorium say he was the worse republican to run against the president, now didn’t he. He was right.”
Correct me if I’m wrong Jefferson, but to those on the left any candidate from the gop would be a bad candidate……right? Or was there one that would have gotten your vote?
PJ
August 2nd, 2012
1:23 pm
“Somehow, I don’t think Romney was expecting PJ’s vote this year, anyway.”
Right you are.
4 more for 44!
Erwin's cat
August 2nd, 2012
1:24 pm
Pea – !don’t think Romney did anything illegal. I just want to see how much he paid in taxes
..why? would you be satisfied if he just released what he paid in taxes?
Peadawg
August 2nd, 2012
1:25 pm
“would you be satisfied if he just released what he paid in taxes?”
That’s all people are asking. Just release the tax returns, Mitt. Make this all go away so we can get back to jobs, economy, debt, war, etc. etc.
SlickRick
August 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
Not really, Kyle, but you’re free to print whatever gobbledygook your editors will allow. THERE’S A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO ETCH-A-SKETCH’S PROBLEM – RELEASE THE DAMN TAX RETURNS (as Daddy Etch-a-Sketch once did). If there’s nothing there, Mittens’ alleged tax problems disappear. Poof. And…
Schnirt
@@
August 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
When will obama release: Health Reform Negotiations
Well, there was this one as a way of avoiding the WH guest list:
President Obama has repeatedly promised that his would be “the most transparent administration in history,” but the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report yesterday showing that high-ranking Obama staffers, including Messina, used private email addresses to bypass these rules and meet with industry lobbyists.
“I will roll Pelosi to get the 4 billion,” Messina wrote Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America lobbyist Jeffrey Forbes from his personal account in March 2010.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/nrcc-hits-obama-over-messinas-caribou-coffee-trysts/article/2503744
They’ve got a petition demanding transparency from the Obama administration. Any of the liberals wanna sign it?
I didn’t think so.
iceman39
August 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
for those of us old enough to remember, and Reid is old enough…We had a senator, probably one of worst, that accused everyone he came in contact with as a communist……they all had to prove otherwise and in the process he ruined the careers of some of the most brilliant people and yes many of them were liberals. Does Reid really believe he can get away with this or is this the arrogance of what he US senate has become and the reason there is no confidence in the US congress….Oh, the senators name was Joe McCarthy,,,,,,remember him REID????????
PJ
August 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
labrat58 @1:17 pm
And don’t forget his kindergarten class picture.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 2nd, 2012
1:30 pm
” If there’s nothing there, Mittens’ alleged tax problems disappear.”
Yeah, right.
As if you trolls won’t have new chow to munch on about wealth-envy for the next 3 months.
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 2nd, 2012
1:31 pm
iceman39
August 2nd, 2012
1:27 pm
_______
Reid is telling the truth. McCarthy was not.
Joe Mama
August 2nd, 2012
1:31 pm
@@ — “They’ve got a petition demanding transparency from the Obama administration. Any of the liberals wanna sign it?”
“I didn’t think so.”
I will. And thanks a lot for answering on my behalf. :/
Legal Eagle
August 2nd, 2012
1:31 pm
Legal Eagle — “It is a Federal offense, punishable by imprisonment to disclose information contained within someone’s tax return without written permission. Reid should be investigated”
IIRC, that statute works the same way as the one that pertains to classified material works; it’s only applicable to someone who is *authorized* to see the material and who then mishandles or communicates it to someone who’s not likewise authorized. If that not-authorized person then communicates it to others who are themselves also not authorized, no additional offense has taken place.
IIRC, of course, it’s been a few years since I reviewed those statutes closely.
=====================
No one believes he actualy has a source for the information. However, a member of the Senate is claiming firsthand knowledge of a possible crime… A investigation should be opened by the justice department (that will never happen!) and Reid should be complelled to disclose his source under penalty of perjury. The downside is Romney will look less presidential AND more guilty by pursueing action against Reid.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
August 2nd, 2012
1:32 pm
“Reid is telling the truth.”
Really, Piedmont? Care to provide such proof?
I refer you to my 1:22 post for consideration.
@@
August 2nd, 2012
1:33 pm
Joe:
I haven’t got you pegged as a fully-blown liberal.
You’re welcome.
Jefferson
August 2nd, 2012
1:33 pm
md, I’ve voted GOP many times and I would have voted for the short guy.
Thomas
August 2nd, 2012
1:34 pm
Pelosi Threatens Media: ‘Maybe The People Writing These Stories’ Should Release Their Tax Returns
Reid may want to speak to his esteemed colleague Pelosi
Ron Adam
August 2nd, 2012
1:34 pm
Romney can put all this to rest by simply releasing his tax returns! Realistically, after paying 13.9% for the ONLY more or less complete tax return he has made public, WHO wouldn’t suspect that he had years when he paid no taxes, or hardly any taxes? What we know is that he used foreign bank accounts, foreign investment accounts, somehow built up his IRA account into millions and millions despite there being no reasonable means of doing so IF he actually had followed the per year maximums. No matter how you plan to vote, there are too many questions about his taxes! If elected, we would face years of claims just like Senator Reid’s. Romney should release ten years of his tax returns so people can decide for themselves!
finn mccool
August 2nd, 2012
1:35 pm
Romney beats his wife?
emconite
August 2nd, 2012
1:35 pm
Numbers-R-US – The poor do not pay income taxes, matter of fact they get money back that they did not pay into the system.
Logic was never intended for libs
August 2nd, 2012
1:35 pm
” I would have voted for the short guy.”
Nick Saban?
SlickRick
August 2nd, 2012
1:37 pm
Tiberius – there’s a veritable treasure trove of Mittens’ lies, obfuscations, 180 degree turnarounds, 360 degree turnarounds, etc. So you’re correct that if Mittens releases the tax returns and they show that nothing is amiss, the “trolls” will move on to something else. Answer me this, though: if every other presidential candidate has released more than a few years of their tax returns, and if Mittens’ returns are 100% kosher, why not release them? (I believe that’s the sound of a hammer hitting the nail squarely on its head!!!)
And cue the…
Schnirt
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 2nd, 2012
1:37 pm
Interesting map.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
Joe Mama
August 2nd, 2012
1:38 pm
Legal Eagle — “No one believes he actualy has a source for the information. However, a member of the Senate is claiming firsthand knowledge of a possible crime…”
I’m not so sure. If he’s saying ‘this dude told me this,’ then isn’t that hearsay?
“A investigation should be opened by the justice department (that will never happen!) and Reid should be complelled to disclose his source under penalty of perjury.”
I agree with you that no DoJ investigation will happen, but I really don’t see how Reid could be compelled under penalty of *perjury.* If he didn’t want to disclose, then it seems that contempt would be more applicable, wouldn’t it?
“The downside is Romney will look less presidential AND more guilty by pursueing action against Reid.”
Agree on that.
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 2nd, 2012
1:38 pm
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
@@
August 2nd, 2012
1:39 pm
Pelosi, who inadvertently let it slip that she believes all Jews are rich and easily exploited.
Reminded me of the little mustached fella.
compromise
August 2nd, 2012
1:40 pm
“What we know is that he used foreign bank accounts, foreign investment accounts, somehow built up his IRA account into millions and millions despite there being no reasonable means of doing so IF he actually had followed the per year maximums. No matter how you plan to vote, there are too many questions about his taxes!’
Proves precisely the point that a lot of people do not understand the tax code.
Legal Eagle
August 2nd, 2012
1:40 pm
Obama campained on “Change”! Who knew he was talking about the “Spare Change” in every American Taxpayer’s pocket!
Erwin's cat
August 2nd, 2012
1:41 pm
Piedmont – Pats by 3
Joe Mama
August 2nd, 2012
1:41 pm
@@ — “Joe: I haven’t got you pegged as a fully-blown liberal.”
That’s strange; the first time we met, you were declaiming that I was a racist within the first five minutes. How soon they forget.
“You’re welcome.”
Yeah, that was a facetious thank-you, but I’m sure you got the message.
@@
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
Is it possible that Romney may be waiting for the appropriate time to release his tax returns? That’s what I’m thinkin’.
Strategically, it’s the wise thing to do.
Hmmmmmm
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
I was going to write in my candidate… Mark Richt……
Eat a Peach
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
@@
link?
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
Erwin’s cat
August 2nd, 2012
1:41 pm
_
Tech picked to win ACC.
Georgia to win SEC east.
SlickRick
August 2nd, 2012
1:43 pm
@@ – I never pegged you for an anti-semite but I’m not surprised.
(No schnirt for you)
IS&WQPJ
Piedmont South from North Georgia
August 2nd, 2012
1:44 pm
@@
August 2nd, 2012
1:42 pm
_______
That’s not thinking. That’s wishing.
And he will lose more votes if they are released then he will lose if he doesn’t. That’s thinking.