Fox News Makes Sure They Have Daddy’s Back Regarding Trump Not Releasing Tax Returns
Well, this was completely unsurprising.
Pretty much immediately after the Associated Press published an interview with presumptive Republican nominee and raging toasted marshmallow Donald Trump, in which he revealed he does not plan on releasing any of his tax returns, his loyal sycophants at Fox News went right to work defending him.
While this is precedent setting, as every major presidential candidate in the past 40 years has released their returns prior to the election, the Trumpkins at Fox didn’t see any problem whatsoever. Fox Business’s Lou Dobbs, who hates Mexicans almost as much as the Orange One and has glommed onto Trump’s campaign, told Trump’s milkshake buddy Bill O’Reilly that the Republican standard-bearer should hold onto the returns because of the liberal media.
BILL O’REILLY (HOST): According to the Associated Press, Donald Trump says he will not, not release his tax returns, because quote, “There’s nothing to learn from them.” In the past, Mr. Trump has said he will not make his returns public because he is being audited by the IRS, but the service says nothing prevents Mr. Trump from releasing his tax returns. With us now, Fox Business Network superstar Lou Dobbs. Should he release his returns?
LOU DOBBS: My opinion, absolutely not. Why should he turn over his tax returns when he is being audited? A. B. When he is facing a hostile national media that — no matter how pristine those returns — is going to find something to pick at and blow up into and then use it as some sort of shiny object to distract from the issues.
O’REILLY: What about transparency though? I mean, since the returns — and this started in the early 50s when modern guys running for president would release their returns. Do you know the three people who held back returns? Do you know who they are?
DOBBS: Three people who held them back, amongst them were Romney.
O’REILLY: No.
DOBBS: Yes, Romney held back.
O’REILLY: Nope, he released them though, eventually under pressure. OK?
DOBBS: Partial. Partial.
O’REILLY: Pretty much all of them. The three that held back were Ross Perot. Alright, he never gave anything to anybody. Ronald Reagan only gave partial, and Bill Clinton only gave very little. But, right now, I mean, people are trying to assess Donald Trump, and his honesty has been questioned by partisans. I think it would be a good move for him to release these tax returns.
DOBBS: I think it’s crazy. He’s going to be questioned no — by the way the partisans, the partisans are everyone you see in the national media. All those without exclusion, so the heck with them. Why should he mess with them?
Of course, imagine the shitstorm we’d have if Hillary Clinton told the AP that she was refusing to provide information on her income taxes. Especially from Dobbs himself. On top of that, you just know we’re going to hear from him regarding the Goldman Sachs speech transcripts at some point, where he’ll hammer her for not making them public, not being transparent. (Of course, Trump has been paid millions himself to make speeches over the years…should he release his transcripts?)
On Thursday, former MTV VJ Kennedy and ex-Chachi Scott Baio both claimed that nobody cares about the tax returns. On the other hand, Kennedy wants to see Clinton’s speech transcripts. But, no hypocrisy here, none at all.
Once again, from Media Matters:
SCOTT BAIO: I’m not interested in anybody’s tax returns anymore. I want to fix stuff.
LISA KENNEDY MONTGOMERY (CO-HOST): I agree with Scott. I honestly don’t care. I love transparency, but what is this fetish with tax returns? I really don’t get it. Mitt Romney’s like “well he might have deducted something that he gave to a criminal organization” because that’s what you do. When you itemize all your deductions, you always put the mob in there just to make sure you’ve got it for safekeeping. And so, I really don’t understand that one, but I do agree that Hillary Clinton’s speeches to Goldman Sachs could be such a conflict of interest. We could learn so much in there that I really — and I don’t care if everyone else releases their speeches. Go ahead, give us everything.
We’re going to continue to see the pro-Trumpers in the Conservative Entertainment Complex twist themselves into pretzels justifying Daddy’s latest rule-breaking action. Why? because he’s ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT!. He TELLS IT LIKE IT IS! He’s a GAME CHANGER! He’ll MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! AMERICA FIRST! GARBLE GARBLE GARBLE!
