Sunday, November 17, 2019

Quora: What is Donald Trump trying to hide?

Judy Rofe, Controversial Aussie. answered.

The intelligence official who documented the whistleblower complaint has experienced trump's conduct before. This time, however, the official figured it was way clear of pale that the time had come to make a move.

Exceptionally rare is the whistleblower process but the informant passed a formal complaint to Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson on August 12. Atkinson, designated by trump, audited the grievance and found it met the legal threshold to consider it an "urgent concern," an even more significantly uncommon event.

By law, that can mean, in addition to other things, "a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, violation of law but does not include differences of opinions concerning public policy matters." The "urgent concern" is not about bad policy or legislative issues; it's potentially about a violation of the law.

trump accomplished something that was regarded so shameful, so disturbing, that an intelligence official felt he needed to act. An "urgent concern" by the intelligence community inspector general is entirely another matter.

Americans have experienced just one more mystery in an administration that has been characterised by chaos and deceptions. They don’t need another of trump's litany of anger fuelled shocks.



The fact that trump won't follow the lead of other candidates and presidents by discharging his tax returns forms, is unmistakably loud. He has something to cover up. Perhaps it’s that he's not as affluent, or isn’t as philanthropic as he boasts himself to be, or didn't pay his share of taxes. Whatever it is, it's not good news for him, which is the main motivation behind why trump needs to stay quiet about it.

The now-standard reaction: As much as he’d like to, he can’t release his tax returns because he’s under audit; and this is all a political trick to embarrass the president. Neither holds water. trump's profits are under review, so he says. There is no proof of it, other than trump's word which, as we've learned, isn't worth a lot.

The law couldn't be clearer. Section 6103(f) of the IRS Code says that the Treasury secretary, through the IRS chief, “shall furnish” not “may” furnish, but “shall” furnish any individual’s tax return to the chairs of three congressional committees “upon written request.” There is no special case considered for any chosen authority, not even the president, nor for anyone under audit.

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