California Governor Will Sign Legislation Requiring Tax Returns For Presidential & Gubernatorial Candidates

Donald Trump

Journalist Yashar Ali reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will sign a recently passed bill that will require presidential and gubernatorial candidates to submit five years of tax returns in order to be on a primary ballot.

The bill, known as SB-27, passed the California Assembly and Senate earlier this month. The law would require candidates for U.S. president and California governor to submit their five most recent years of tax returns, with sensitive information like Social Security numbers redacted. The state would then publish those returns for the public to review. If a candidate for either of those offices refused to submit their returns, they would not be listed on the primary ballot.

This is unquestionably a bill directed toward and inspired by President Donald Trump’s refusal to release copies of his tax returns. When Newsom signs the bill today, California will become the first state to require such a disclosure by law.

All of the major Democratic presidential candidates have released years’ worth of tax returns, and when Newsom ran for governor in 2018, he allowed reporters to review six years of his tax returns.

News Round-Up: July 12, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Max Souza (above) is a study in gorgeous contrast between that gorgeous skin, the blue ocean and his whiter-than-white swimsuit. #Brazil

• Washingtonian: A bisexual man, frustrated he couldn't donate blood, decided to donate a kidney in protest. Current FDA policy bans men who have sex with men from donating blood (but not organs) unless they are refrain from same-sex intimacy for a year.

• Sacramento Bee: California lawmakers have approved a bill that will require presidential candidates to provide five years of tax returns in order to appear on the primary ballot. Gov. Gavin Newsome, who provided six years of his own tax returns for his 2018 gubernatorial race, is expected to sign the bill into law.

• Washington Post: The U.S. House voted Friday to prevent Donald Trump from launching into war with Iran without first getting the approval of Congress. More than two dozen Republicans joined Democrats to include the provision, which includes an exception for cases of self-defense, in the House’s annual defense authorization bill.

• IndyStar: Gay high school teacher, fired for being in a same-sex marriage, sues Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

• TGIF: Groove into the weekend with Dinah Jane and her 'tell-off' video, "Heard It All Before." The R&B diva recently brought her talent and sass to St. Louis PrideFest as well as the BET Awards Experience. DJ

News Round-Up: July 8, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Guto Oliveira went blond (again) because, you know what they say... #InstaBlondsHaveMoreFun

• Washington Post: The Trump administration's State Department has launched a panel focused on human rights and 'natural law.' Natural law is a term sometimes used in association with discrimination against marginalized populations. You know, like, the gays.

• Buzzfeed News: A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Arizona on Thursday by a man who told police he did it because the boy’s rap music made him feel “unsafe.”

• Netflix: The streaming platform dropped the trailer for Season 4 of Queer Eye, which will be available on July 19. Try not to cry...

• Politico: Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Monday authorizing the release of state tax returns to a handful of congressional committees, opening a new avenue for Democrats to get their hands on some of President Donald Trump’s closely guarded finances.

• New York Times: Senator Elizabeth Warren raised $19.1 million for her presidential campaign in the past three months, ahead of her biggest opponent for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Sen. Bernie Sanders ($18 million).

• Colombian pop star Maluma set his Instagram on fire when he posted this sexy selfie-dance video teasing his new track, “Instinto Natural,” and 44 million followers simultaneously drooled. Follow those 'instincts,' Maluma ;)

View this post on Instagram

INSTINTO NATURAL.... LE HACEMOS VIDEO??? 🔥🔥🔥

A post shared by MALUMA (@maluma) on Jul 8, 2019 at 7:58am PDT

News Round-Up: July 2, 2019

InstaHunk and fashion designer Daniel Sheehan

Some news items you might have missed:

• Yesterday's Round-Up hottie got a great reaction, but even better, Twitter user The Scruff Post discovered the hottie is fashion designer, Daniel Sheehan (above). #BookmarkThatInstagram #Woof

• New York Times: A group of LGBT-supportive Republicans have filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of LGBT workplace protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The brief is reportedly tailored to resonate with the five conservative justices on the high court.

• AdAge: Advertising company FCB announced that it will not renew its contract with Nivea after reports that the skin care brand rejected a pitch showing two men's hands touching. An executive allegedly told the ad company, "We don't do gay at Nivea."

• Washington Post: After haters used a social media campaign to force the cancellation of a Story Book Pride Prom in Jacksonville, Florida, a local church stepped in and held the prom Friday. The decision to host the prom was unanimously supported by the church’s board, and the event culminated in “happy teens, grateful parents, and a lot of community support.”

• Woofy Matthew Camp shares this colorful tease of his sex-positive docs-series, Camp Chaos:

View this post on Instagram

@campchaosx #mendotcom #matthewcamp #pride #seedsofchange #sexcation @thetylerholmes #music

A post shared by Matthew Camp (@matthewcamp) on Jun 30, 2019 at 3:22pm PDT

• CNBC: The House Ways and Means Committee is suing the Treasury Department to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns.

• The Hill: The Trump administration has relented on its attempt to put a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census.

• The United States Women's National Soccer team is heading to the World Cup finals after beating England today 2-1. Tea anyone?

And that’s the tea sis! #USWNT pic.twitter.com/y6bpv75fiV

— Beer Talk Inc. (@BeerTalkPod) July 2, 2019

IRS Memo Draft Indicates Trump Tax Returns Have To Be Given To Congress

Donald Trump

While Treasury Secretary and Trump toadie, Steven Mnuchin, says he's refusing to turn over Donald Trump's tax returns because he wants to kiss Trump's butt Congress doesn't have a 'legitimate reason' for them, it turns out the IRS has already drafted a memo that finds the returns pretty much have to be given to Congress.

From The Washington Post:

A confidential Internal Revenue Service legal memo says tax returns must be given to Congress unless the president takes the rare step of asserting executive privilege, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Washington Post.

The memo contradicts the Trump administration’s justification for denying lawmakers’ request for President Trump’s tax returns, exposing fissures in the executive branch. Trump has refused to turn over his tax returns but has not invoked executive privilege. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has instead denied the returns by arguing there is no legislative purpose for demanding them.

But, according to the IRS memo, which has not been previously reported, the disclosure of tax returns to the committee “is mandatory, requiring the Secretary to disclose returns, and return information, requested by the tax-writing Chairs.”

Even when it comes to 'executive privilege,' the Post points out that "is generally defined as the president’s ability to deny requests for information about internal administration talks and deliberations."

Trump's taxes prior to taking office would not fall under that definition.

The thing about Treasury refusing to hand over Trump’s tax returns cuz they claim there’s no legitimate legislative interest is that…. There is a legitimate legislative interest. Tons. Conflict of interest laws, transparency laws, tax evasion laws, all are affected by this

— Sam Stein (@samstein) May 17, 2019

"All of which raises the question: Why exactly is Trump (and the rest of his administration) expending so much energy and political capital to keep these documents hidden? What could possibly be so disturbing or incriminating to justify such an effort?" https://t.co/EC0IoOcr1R

— Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) May 21, 2019

White House Asked Former Trump Lawyer Twice To Say He Didn't Obstruct Justice

Donald Trump

The New York Times is reporting that Don McGahn, Donald Trump's first White House counsel, was asked by Trump administration officials on two separate occasions to publicly say he didn't believe Trump obstructed the Mueller investigation.

Mr. Trump asked White House officials to make the request to Mr. McGahn, who was the president’s first White House counsel, one of the people said. Mr. McGahn declined. His reluctance angered the president, who believed that Mr. McGahn showed disloyalty by telling investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, about Mr. Trump’s attempts to maintain control over the Russia investigation.

The White House made one of the requests to Mr. McGahn’s lawyer, William A. Burck, before the Mueller report was released publicly but after the Justice Department gave a copy to Mr. Trump’s lawyers in the preceding days. Reading the report, the president’s lawyers saw that Mr. Mueller left out that Mr. McGahn had told investigators that he believed the president never obstructed justice. Mr. Burck had told them months earlier about his client’s belief on the matter and that he had shared it with investigators.

Mr. McGahn initially entertained the White House request. “We did not perceive it as any kind of threat or something sinister,” Mr. Burck said in a statement. “It was a request, professionally and cordially made.”

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a message seeking comment.

White House officials made a second request a few days after the release of the Mueller report. McGahn demurred again.

More from Trump World:

• Rudy Giuliani has called off his previously announced trip to Ukraine where he planned to encourage an investigation regarding former Vice President Joe Biden's son. The move was seen as another attempt by the Trump campaign to seek help from a foreign country.

• The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard E. Neal, subpoenaed the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service for six years of Mr. Trump’s personal and business tax returns.

• Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are pursuing testimony from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, but an official date has not been agreed to.

News Round-Up: April 28, 2019

Bremen Menelli

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Bremen Menelli, currently in Palm Springs, is all smiles. I know a whole lotta gays are in the PS, so lots to smile about.

• Judith Light, Emmy and Tony Award winner, will be honored with the 2019 Isabelle Stevenson Award, presented to theater community members in recognition of their humanitarian contributions.

Light has worked tirelessly for decades as an advocate for LGBTQ rights; she's been there for the fight against HIV/AIDS; and she continues to work with the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Truly a more-than-worthy recipient.

• Fourteen states currently have pending legislation that would require all presidential and vice presidential candidates to release their individual tax returns in order to appear on the ballot during the presidential or general election. The fourteen states are Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Donald Trump - they're looking at you.

• One day after former Vice President Joe Biden announced he is running for president in 2020, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, has issued a statement saying he will no longer accept campaign donations from federal lobbyists. Additionally, he will be returning the $30,250 he had received from those who had donated.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced in an email on Friday that the campaign will no longer accept contributions from federal lobbyists, and plans to return $30,250 to those who have already donated.

• With over 3 million LGBTQ Americans living in rural areas, gay-friendly towns in red states (like Fayetteville, Arkansas) are in the hunt for LGBTQ travel dollars saying they welcome the gays.

• Woofy Pennsylvania state lawmaker Brian Sims started a conversation on his Instagram posting a photo of a Truvada pill, with the caption:

"PrEP/PEP: Starting this day off smart, proactive, and in control! Think this is an invite to talk about my sex life? It’s not. Think it’s an invite to shame me or anyone else? Grow up. “Stigma” is the thing our enemies want us to be stunted by. It literally kills us. It’s stupid and we control our own fate. No shame in this game. Just Pride. #PrEPsavesLIVES"

View this post on Instagram

PrEP/PEP: Starting this day off smart, proactive, and in control! Think this is an invite to talk about my sex life? It’s not. Think it’s an invite to shame me or anyone else? Grow up. “Stigma” is the thing our enemies want us to be stunted by. It literally kills us. It’s stupid and we control our own fate. No shame in this game. Just Pride. #PrEPsavesLIVES

A post shared by Brian Sims (@briansimspa) on Apr 23, 2019 at 6:47am PDT

Sen. Kamala Harris Releases 15 Years Of Tax Returns

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)

Democratic White House hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris of California has released 15 years of tax returns in an effort to provide transparency to the voters.

Via Politico:

Sen. Kamala Harris and her husband reported a total income of about $2 million in their 2018 federal tax return, according to a large release of filings on Sunday by the California Democrat that her presidential campaign is billing as the “most transparent” of the sprawling 2020 field.

Harris released 15 years of tax returns in all — three more than any other candidate. Harris’ records cover every year since 2004, when she was the elected district attorney of San Francisco.

In their 2018 return, Harris and her husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, listed an adjusted gross income of $1.89 million, including Harris’ Senate salary and the $320,000 she made from writing a book, “The Truths We Hold.” Harris and Emhoff were married in 2014, then began filing jointly. In 2018, they paid $563,426 in federal taxes and donated $27,000 to charity.

California Legislature Passes Bill Requiring Presidential Candidates To Release Tax Returns

If other states follow suit, this could throw a wrench in Donald Trump's bid for reelection.

The California State Assembly has passed the Presidential Tax Transparency and Accountability Act, by a vote of 42-18, requiring all presidential candidates to release 5 years of tax returns in order to be on the ballot.

The tax returns would be made available to the public on the California Secretary of State's website.

The bill now heads to the state Senate before landing on the governor's desk to be signed into law.

As we all know, Donald Trump became the first presidential candidates since the 1970s to not release his tax returns.

Although he told the American people over and over again that he couldn't because he was "under audit," the IRS has said audits do not prevent people from making their tax information public.

Can you imagine if he tries to say his taxes are still "under audit" in three years?

Trump Considers Legal Action Over MSNBC Reporting On 2005 Tax Returns

(photo: Gage Skidmore)

According to Fox Business News, Donald Trump's personal lawyers are considering legal action against MSNBC and Pulitzer Prize winning author David Cay Johnston for reporting on two pages of the president's 2005 tax return on the network's Rachel Maddow Show this past Tuesday.

Trump’s tax returns were published Tuesday by DCReport.org, a website operated by David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter. They were simultaneously aired on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

Legal experts say any case would be a long-shot given First Amendment protections for journalists and an important Supreme Court precedent that dates back to the famous 1971 “Pentagon Papers” case. Trump would also have to show that the journalists were complicit in stealing his tax returns—which both Johnston and Maddow have denied.

“Trump’s lawyers could try and sue but they will get the crap kicked out of them in court,” said veteran white collar attorney Stanley Arkin. “It’s the First Amendment. What are they going to sue them for? Stealing the returns? Nobody made any money out of it. Nobody was bribed.”

White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks would neither confirm nor deny the president’s interest in a possible lawsuit against MSNBC or Johnston.

In a statement, MSNBC told FOX Business: “There is no legal prohibition against journalists publishing these tax returns. It is protected by the First Amendment and Supreme Court precedent.

Rachel Maddow Talks Trump Tax Returns, Trump Pretends No One Has Heard Of Pulitzer Prize Winning Author

Last night, Rachel Maddow almost blew up Twitter with the news that she had in her possession "Donald Trump's tax returns."

In truth, it was two pages of Trump's 2005 tax returns. The pages were sent anonymously to Pulitzer Prize winning, New York Times best selling author David Cay Johnston, who sat down with Maddow to discuss what the return could tell American voters about their new president.

The White House actually put out a statement in advance of Maddow's show which confirmed the information.

The very short version is that Trump paid $36 million in taxes on $153 million adjusted gross income. So, about 25% tax rate. About what most middle class folks pay percentage-wise.

Reminder - Trump is the first President in four decades to refuse to release his returns, even though he promised on many occasions to do so.

For the full breakdown of the tax returns by Johnston, click here.

Watch below as Maddow and Johnston discuss the documents:

Folks are wondering where the tax return came from, and it's been considered by a lot of folks that Trump himself, or an aide, sent the pages as a distraction from his current White House woes. As we all know, Trump used to "leak" info on himself to New York City newspapers under an assumed name often back in the 80s and 90s.

This morning, the Donald at least feigned anger tweeting, "Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, "went to his mailbox" and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!"

Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, "went to his mailbox" and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2017

Reminder: Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize winning author with New York Times best-sellers to his credit. A LOT of folks have heard of him.

Johnston replied to the tweet thusly:

Gee, Donald, your White House confirmed my story. POTUS fake Tweet. Sad! https://t.co/ibK2ApKI9E

— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) March 15, 2017

Johnston also shared last night that his family was allegedly threatened by Trump supporters:

Trump fans call & harass my wife & 1 of my children after I break story White House confirmed. Sad! Let's have open debate, not threats.

— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) March 15, 2017

To be clear, folks, I don't intimidate. But calls to family are out of bounds, a disturbing sign of how Trump damages civil debate.

— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) March 15, 2017

Now. Can we get back to Trump's allegations of wire tapping and the American Health Care Act which won't be passing in it's present form?

Kellyanne Conway U-Turns - Again - On Trump Taxes

After months of promising on the campaign trail to release his tax returns once an IRS audit is complete, Donald Trump's White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told George Stephanopoulos, on ABC’s This Week, that Trump will not be releasing his tax returns.

Hold on, now, because you might get whiplash: Conway tweeted this morning that the White House is back to their original position, promising to release the tax returns after the "audit."

Imagine the discussions taking place behind closed doors.

There are currently over 260K signatures on a White House petition calling for the release of Trump's tax returns.

WikiLeaks Promises To Release Trump Tax Returns If They Get Them

In light of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's announcement that Donald Trump will not be releasing his tax returns, after months of promising to do just that, WikiLeaks has tweeted they intend to share them if anyone sends the docs to them.

Trump's breach of promise over the release of his tax returns is even more gratuitous than Clinton concealing her Goldman Sachs transcripts.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 22, 2017

Here's just one of many instances where Trump promised to release his tax returns:

White House Advisor: President Trump Is "Not Going To Release His Tax Returns"

Although Donald Trump promised repeatedly throughout the presidential campaign that he would release his tax returns once an audit by the IRS was completed, today White House counselor Kellyanne Conway announced that the new president is "not going to release his tax returns.

During an appearance on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos brought up the White House petition posted on Friday demanding Trump’s tax returns be released.

Conway responded thusly:

“The White House response is that he’s not going to release his tax returns. We litigated this all through the election. People didn’t care, they voted for him.”

There are currently over 200,000 signatures on the White House petition.

Trump has recently brushed aside the issue of his tax returns saying that people "don’t care" about his tax returns.

It would appear more than 200,000 Americans do.

You have to imagine that whatever is in those tax returns must be extremely damning to justify a u-turn on releasing the info in those returns.

JoeMyGod reminds us that Conway felt differently just a few months before she went to work for the Trumpster. Check out the video below:

Donald Trump Jr: Releasing My Dad's Tax Returns Would "Distract" From Campaign Message

According to CNN, Donald Trump Jr. has let the cat out of the bag regarding the real reason his dad won't release his tax records.

And it's not because of an audit.

Donald Trump’s son argued his father can’t release his tax returns because that would allow voters to scrutinize them in a way that would detract from the candidate’s main message. That’s contrary to what the Republican presidential nominee has said about not releasing them because they are being audited.

Donald Trump, Jr. was asked by the Tribune-Review in Pennsylvania why his father won’t publicly disclose his tax returns as candidates in both parties — including rival Hillary Clinton — have traditionally done.

“Because he’s got a 12,000-page tax return that would create … financial auditors out of every person in the country asking questions that would detract from (his father’s) main message,” Donald Trump, Jr. told the newspaper in a piece published Wednesday.

The Republican nominee has said he is not releasing his tax returns because he is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service, although under law there is nothing that prevents a person under audit from disclosing their returns should they chose to do so.

Now, gee, what do you think could be in those tax returns that would "detract" from the Trumpster's message?

Things that make you go "hmm...."

By the way, Trump has also said that when "Hillary Clinton releases her emails" he would release his tax returns. So, the audit excuse is simply that - an excuse.

What's Donald Trump Hiding?

Over the years, Donald Trump has said he would release his tax returns when President Obama released his birth certificate. Obama did, Donald didn't.

Trump said he would release his tax returns if he ran for president. He's running. No tax returns.

Trump said he would definitely release his tax returns after his current tax audit. The IRS said there's no reason he can't release them now. Still no tax returns.

Hillary Clinton and a lot of Americans now have to wonder - "What's Donald Trump hiding?"

Donald Trump: My Tax Rate Is "None Of Your Business"

As everyone knows, every presidential candidate since 1976 has released their tax returns.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump promised to do so. Now, he's decided he won't.

Or, at least, it may not be before the general election in November.

From ABC News:

Joining "Good Morning America" this morning, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos asked Trump what his tax rate is, and Trump simply replied, “It’s none of your business.”

“You'll see it when I release but I fight very hard to pay as little tax as possible,” Trump said.

The billionaire also said he has no foreign bank accounts and emphasized he runs a “clean” business.

"I don’t have Swiss bank accounts," he said. "I don’t have offshore accounts."

Trump went to say that he doesn’t not believe that voters have a right to see his tax returns before they vote, but that he would gladly made them public once the audit is over.

Stephanopoulos asked Trump: “Yes or no, do you believe voters have a right to see your tax returns before they make a final decision?”

“I don't think they do. But I do say this, I will really gladly give them,” Trump answered, adding he has no problem releasing him and he hopes it's before the election.

Trump went on to divert to Hillary Clinton's "Goldman Sachs speeches" that she hasn't released. It goes without saying that every candidate since 1976 HASN'T released transcripts of their paid speeches when out of office.

It says a lot that Trump was willing to release his taxes to get a casino license, but the American public don't deserve the same opportunity.

Mitt Romney On Donald Trump "It Is Disqualifying To Refuse To Release Tax Returns"

The 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to Facebook today to denounce Donald Trump's refusal to release his tax returns, as every presidential candidate has done since 1976.

It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has not been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. Tax returns provide the public with its sole confirmation of the veracity of a candidate's representations regarding charities, priorities, wealth, tax conformance, and conflicts of interest. Further, while not a likely circumstance, the potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organizations, or other unsavory groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander-in-chief.

Mr. Trump says he is being audited. So? There is nothing that prevents releasing tax returns that are being audited. Further, he could release returns for the years immediately prior to the years under audit. There is only one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns: there is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume it's a bombshell of unusual size.

(Anticipating inquiries regarding my own tax release history, I released my 2010 tax returns in January of 2012 and I released my 2011 tax returns as soon as they were completed, in September of 2012.)