HOW and WHY were the returns leaked?

[Paula Sims]

OK, there sources are limited. . .

1. His tax preparers -- doubtful unless there's a whistle blower in there and hates Trump. Would also leave them open to law suits. But if that's the case, why only a few pages?
2. His ex, Marla (he was married to her during 1995). Again, doubtful since she doesn't want to risk her nest egg or that of the daughter he wanted aborted.

That only leaves the campaign (Donnie) itself. Why? What could they benefit from it? Since it was only a few pages, that was intentional.

I've seen too many dirty tricks in this and other campaigns so someone please explain to me why I should take off my tin-foil hat.

[underthematrix]

1. no one wants trump in the Oval. U should assume

Dems and repubs are working together.

[Dawson Leery]

2. CIA too.

[underthematrix]

3. Well I do think Trump is under investigation. The extent of it I don't know

[Jeffersons Ghost]

19. The CIA has nothing to do with this topic; but this link does.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028201909

[RKP5637]

4. It could be a Trump shenanigan to gauge the response by the masses. n/t

[madaboutharry]

5. I don't think it was sent by Trump or anyone authorized to send it.

Take that hat off!

That said, it could have been sent by someone close in some way to Trump and who had access to it and who has become disillusioned with Trump and the campaign.

Maybe Manaford took it before he was fired.

We most likely will never know.

[Foggyhill]

6. You make a hell of a lot of logical leaps here...

[Nevernose]

7. Probably hundreds of people have access

From IRS officials to accountants to corporate suits to secretaries and data entry folks. It could have been just an average white collar guy with half a brain who works for Trump.

My guess is that t was the Trump campaign themselves. They saw how well the "doesn't pay taxes" thing was going and how well it went for Romney, so they leaked this to have some sort of explanation for why he was such a parasite on the hardworking people of America.

It just makes him a billion dollar loser.

[VMA131Marine]

8. That the Trump campaign is trying to spin this as a positive ...

suggests the leak may have been intentional. Indeed, it may play well with Trump's base who are opposed to paying any taxes anyway. I can't see how it persuades any undecided voters to move towards Trump though because these are people likely to be pissed off that someone with so much money is not paying any taxes at all and it highlights the unfairness of the system. Then Giuliani goes off talking about how low income Americans are exploiting loopholes to avoid paying taxes as well; yes, asshole, it's called barely making enough money to survive.

Anyway, if it was the Trump campaign or Trump himself, I think it will backfire in the end.

[wishstar]

9. Revenge by person who was blamed for Melania's plagiarized speech

Meredith McIver! She works at Trump Towers, has access to Trump financial files, she is pissed over not getting enough ghost writer credit and profits from his books and then is unfairly blamed for the plagiarism and stiffed on her promised hush money.

In actuality though we will probably never know the truth about the plagiarism/rickroll and these tax return leaks

[jberryhill]

18. That was all Michele Obama's fault

If she hadn't given that speech first, then Melania couldn't have copied it. So, she started that one.

[meadowlark5]

10. I heard an discussion about this on CNN earlier

And the topic that he had lost almost a billion dollars in one single year should call into question his success as a business man. That was kind of the focus as opposed to not paying taxes.

Of course the Trump surrogates, that have been prepared for several days, said Trump talked about it in his book.

But then I heard the interview with a woman from the NYT and she gave a no comment on if they know the source. So if they know the source and thought it was funneled by Trump, don't you think they'd hold off publishing or do you think they'd run with it and see what happens? Can't imagine NYT would like to be played by Trump.

[mainstreetonce]

11. That woman

From the NY Times gave the impression they have more

[longship]

16. Suzanne Craig only said, "No comment."

Probably on recommendation of NYT lawyers and management. That's what every responsible news organization does.

And "No comment" means only just that. No comment!

It certainly does not mean, "Make up any shit you want."

[duncang]

12. Add any past or present people in the trump org. who might have access.

Also was he opening any casinos or doing anything that might require him to turn over tax records to someone?

Or anybody working past or present from the tax preparers could have leaked the forms. There's more people outside the campaign that would want them released then inside.

It could have even been that 400 pound hacker dipshit donnie was talking about if any of it's a pdf on a computer.


If it was the campaign what was it for? To show that he was a dumbass and a total failure as a businessman?

[Jim Beard]

20. I have been required to give copies of my tax forms for a loan.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

13. Squirrel!!

It's a diversion from the real issue, which is he will not produce his current tax returns. He and his surrogates can use these three pieces of paper to "run out the clock" by arguing they are equivalent, or that they show what a great businessman he is (losing $1 billion is genius?), that he know how the tax system works, that he's better than a mere woman at business.

They've already started the spin. All they need to do is keep it going.

[MiniMe]

14. No one is talking about his Miss Universe twitters any more...

[spanone]

17. .....!!!!

[pandr32]

15. What if it was Melania?

Perhaps she does not want to be First Lady...she and Barron would have to move into the White House away from their privacy in their lavish Trump Tower quarters; she would have a job and a whole lot more duties than she has now. This presidential bid is all about DT, not her.

[mnhtnbb]

21. I wouldn't put it past Baron, either.

He's old enough to go rooting around in files. He could know his mom doesn't want to move and has little interest in being First Lady. And the shrinks would have a field day
with the Oedipal dynamics of Baron using the tax returns to take down his old man.