Subject: FOR RR2 *TONIGHT*: Trump vs. Trump on Releasing his Tax Returns
From: "Paustenbach, Mark" <[email-masked]>
To: RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 May 2016 18:52:58 -0700

SL: Trump vs. Trump on Releasing his Tax Returns

Every major presidential candidate since 1976 has made their returns public and, until recently, Donald Trump agreed with that forty-year precedent.  When he first considered running for President in 1999, he said, "I probably wouldn't have a problem releasing my tax returns if I ran." In 2012 he said if you're running for President, "at a minimum, you probably had to show your tax returns" and they should be released by April 1st of the election year.

But, now Trump won't hold himself to those standards. His refusal to release his own tax returns raises questions about what he's hiding. Below is an abridged timeline of Trump's shifting positions over the years.

When he first considered running for President...

1999<https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/during-1999-run-trump-vowed-to-release-his-tax-returns?utm_term=.muL9odKmN#.wmoEdDVGq>: "I probably wouldn't have a problem releasing my tax returns if I ran."

1999<https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/during-1999-run-trump-vowed-to-release-his-tax-returns?utm_term=.flDJBKAd4#.oqrOJrdEb>: When asked about releasing his tax returns for a presidential bid, Trump said he had been an "open book."

During the last Presidential election in 2012...

2012<http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2012/01/19/trump-gop-stop-playing-president-obamas-hands/>: Trump claimed the historic precedent was that presidential candidates released their tax returns by April 1

2012: "If you didn't see the tax returns, you would think there is almost like something was wrong. What's wrong?"

2012:  Trump said if you were running for president, "at a minimum, you probably had to show your tax returns."

2012<http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/24/donald-trump-on-his-big-announcement-its-not-a-publicity-stunt-its-a-serious-very-serious-offer/>: Trump said that Mitt Romney's returns were "very honorably done" and were "absolutely beautiful and perfect."

Over the past year while he ran for President...

2015<http://www.hughhewitt.com/donald-trump-on-2016-and-trolling-the-gop/>: "I have no objection to certainly showing tax returns."

2015<https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwimsNT1p9PMAhUBw4MKHU-mDyQQFgg3MAc&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FPolitics%2FwireStory%2Ftrumps-returns-plays-tax-game-39049939&usg=AFQjCNHtB2aaNAX9BdEyErdwdS36c3zVpw&bvm=bv.121658157,d.amc>: "I want to tell you right now that I have no problem with giving my tax returns but I would tell you upfront a stupid person, a really stupid person is paying a lot of taxes."

2016:<http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-wont-release-tax-returns-before-november/> "Over the next three, four months. We're working on them very hard. And they will be very good."

2016<http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/11/politics/donald-trump-tax-returns/>: Trump claimed he could not release his tax returns because he was being audited, despite it being<http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/27/politics/donald-trump-irs-audit/> "very, very unfair."

"Donald Trump saw what happened to Mitt Romney when the American people learned he paid<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romney-made-42-million-paid-14-percent/story?id=15423615> just 14 percent in taxes on $40 million in earnings, it proved he just didn't understand hardworking Americans.  This isn't primary season anymore, Donald Trump has to be held accountable and the American people should know whether the reality TV mogul pays less in taxes than middle-class families. If Donald Trump can't be trusted now, he can't be trusted to have the judgment and temperament the American people expect of a President." - Luis Miranda, DNC Communications Director