Clinton, Press Must Pound Trump Daily On Taxes

Donald Trump’s campaign may be disintegrating before our eyes and there are even unsubstantiated rumors today about Trump withdrawing from the race, but I’ll believe that when I see it. But I believe the Clinton campaign and the press really need to pound on Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns and this needs to be done on a daily basis. I know this is hard because Trump creates so much chaos and so many new lines of attack every single day. For the Clinton campaign, it is simply good politics as the release of his taxes may provide some insight into who his investors really are as well as quite probably showing, like Mitt Romney, what a low rate of tax he actually pays. But for the press and the country, the stakes are much higher. Because if Trump is allowed to get away with not releasing his taxes, there will be no incentive for future candidates to do the same. There is no requirement to release your taxes – it is simply that, after Watergate, it was simply unacceptable not to do so. The pressure from the press and electorate was just too great and the refusal to do so was looked upon as having something so egregious to hide that you would not be fit for President. That may very well be the case with Donald Trump. But allowing him to go all the way through to November without paying an enormous price on an almost daily basis would set the precedent for future nominees to also avoid releasing their taxes. And that would be another blow to democracy here in the US.