CONNOR HOFFMAN
News Editor
Politicians have never been the most transparent people out there, but oh boy, do the two candidates we have running now seriously lack any kind of transparency.
Hillary Clinton had the nerve to tell people that “I’m the most transparent public official in modern times” back in March.
Seriously, Clinton? What do you define as transparent? I think you may be mixing up pandering with transparency.
Let’s start off with a look at how she handled her entire email scandal. In March 2015, it was found out that Clinton had used mostly her private email account rather than her State Department account during her time as secretary of state. She then proceeded to lie about the entire thing for the rest of the year until we heard from FBI Director James Comey about the results of his investigation.
Clinton told us that she did not send classified emails, but according to Comey, he found 110 emails with then-classified information. She told us that she set up this private account for her convenience, but that’s false too. She had 13 different cell phones, according to the FBI report. If Clinton’s so transparent, why did we have to wait over a year to find out the truth from the FBI?
Next, look at how she handled her medical records and recent sickness.
Recently there has been a conspiracy theory pushed, even by Fox News, that Clinton is very ill. These accusations got even worse when she fell ill with pneumonia on Sept. 11. Even then, getting Clinton to disclose her illness was difficult. She fainted on her way back from a 9/11 memorial service, and we didn’t even know why until later that night.
Clinton may have released her medical records the other day, but don’t be fooled: all she submitted was a written letter from her physician about her health in 2015. What she released is the furthest thing from her full medical records. It almost seems like she is trying to hide something.
Donald Trump isn’t a saint either, and we have yet to see his infamous tax records. According to Trump himself, the main reason that he can’t release his taxes is because he is currently being audited. If Trump does not release his taxes, he would be the first presidential candidate since 1976 to not have released his tax records. Richard Nixon, one of the least transparent presidents ever, even released his tax records under audit.
That may sound like a pretty good reason for him to not release his taxes, but that’s not exactly how it all works. The IRS has even said that Trump is completely able to release his taxes despite being under audit. “Nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information,” said the IRS in a statement that they released.
What’s even more ironic is Trump has actually released his taxes under audit before. Trump’s attorneys handed over his tax returns from 2000 through 2004 in Pennsylvania in an attempt to get a casino in Philadelphia approved, and at least some of the federal and state tax returns he gave were the subject of ongoing audits.
It looks like Donald Trump Jr. may have slipped up the other day and provided us with the real reason why Trump won’t release his tax records.
There’s quite a few reasons as to why Trump is being so shady about his taxes, chief among them that Trump may not be worth the $10 billion that he constantly claims he’s worth.
Another reason is that through tax loopholes and such, he may have not even paid taxes last year. Trump also could be trying to hide some shady or corrupt business deal that he made. Also, Trump’s taxes could show us that he donates way less than he claims to charity.
The American people deserve better from our candidates, and it is our job to ensure that we receive both Clinton’s medical records or Trump’s tax records. We cannot allow our presidential candidates to get away with such blatant lies and deception.