Reid: Bain Investor Told Me That Mitt Romney 'Didn't Pay Any Taxes For 10 Years'

[Landslide Lyndon]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/harry-reid-romney-taxes_n_1724027.html?1343764012

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has what he says is an informed explanation for why Mitt Romney refuses to release additional tax returns. According a Bain investor, Reid charged, Romney didn't pay any taxes for 10 years.

...

"Harry, he didn't pay any taxes for 10 years," Reid recounted the person as saying.

"He didn't pay taxes for 10 years! Now, do I know that that's true? Well, I'm not certain," said Reid. "But obviously he can't release those tax returns. How would it look?

"You guys have said his wealth is $250 million," Reid went on. "Not a chance in the world. It's a lot more than that. I mean, you do pretty well if you don't pay taxes for 10 years when you're making millions and millions of dollars."

The highest ranked Democrat in Congress, Reid is known more as a back room brawler than a public flamethrower. So his willingness to throw this private conversation into the media frenzy over Romney's taxes underscores the low opinion he has of the Republican candidate.

Tellingly, neither Reid nor his office would reveal who the investor was, making it impossible to verify if the accusation is true. And as his quote makes clear, he's uncertain if the information is accurate. The Romney campaign's press secretary, Andrea Saul, has previously denied rumors that Romney didn't pay "any taxes at all."

But there is limited political downside to the type of open speculation that Reid is making, so long as Romney refuses to budge on the issue of his tax returns. Increasingly, other Democrats are growing more assertive in their goading. In an appearance at the Center for American Progress on Tuesday, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland argued that he could openly speculate as to whether Romney "is a tax avoider" or "cheat" because "his behavior invites such speculation."

[IDS Legislator Alfred F. Jones]

I'm gonna need to see the investor on that one, Harry.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Well doesn't this just scream of honesty.

[mondale84]

Well doesn't this just scream of honesty.

This is no time for the pot to be talking about the kettle...

[ajb]

Romney is kind of begging people to assume the worst about his taxes.

[Vasall des Midas]

Romney is kind of begging people to assume the worst about his taxes.

Because the worst that common people can imagine without trying is still better than the reality of virtually everybody in Romney's financial league.
I very much doubt that the statement is literally true - but I doubt even more that it is not fundamentally true.

[Gravis Marketing]

Reid knows how to play the game.

[Likely Voter]

Thus begins the game of "what's in Romey's Tax Returns?"

Hey I heard that for three years Romney was writing off millions in losses for a cock fighting business

see how easy it is.

Clearly the Romney campaign have calculated that whatever is in there is more damaging than making him look like he is hiding something combined with the speculation of the things he is hiding.

[You kip if you want to...]

Probably a made up meeting, but a good way to ramp up the pressure.

[Torie]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

[ajb]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

Well, in that case Reid will look really silly when Romney releases his tax returns, won't he?

[Torie]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

Well, in that case Reid will look really silly when Romney releases his tax returns, won't he?

Yes, hopefully, although it won't embarrass Reid. Nothing Reid says ever embarrasses him. He has no sense of shame.

[Landslide Lyndon]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

Well, in that case Reid will look really silly when Romney releases his tax returns, won't he?

Yes, hopefully, although it won't embarrass Reid. Nothing Reid says ever embarrasses him. He has no sense of shame.

Judging by Torie's reaction, Reid's statement is one of his most savvy moments.

[opebo]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

Dude, I'm sure he knows as much as you about taxes, the point is his statement has nothing to do with taxes - it is beautiful politics.  Reid is great.  We need more smear-artists on our side.

[Lief]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians. He used to be a boxer, right?

Anyway, despite the desperate protestations of Torie and the other Romneybots who are obviously very terrified of this issue, it's clear that there is something very, very bad, something potentially campaign-ending in Romney's tax returns, that is forcing him to pay the comparatively smaller costs of not releasing them.

[Vasall des Midas]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians. He used to be a boxer, right?
 

I wisht it were possible to force a German to reveal his tax returns.

[Torie]

Anyway, despite the desperate protestations of Torie and the other Romneybots who are obviously very terrified of this issue,

How perspicacious of you to be able to peer deep down into my innermost soul, and discern that about me of which I do not even consciously know myself. You should be a therapist!  

By the way, isn't "Mittbot" more euphoniously harmonious than "Romneybot?"

[SirNick]

It really is not possible for Mittens to have paid no taxes like that, unless, as is highly unlikely, he had large operating loss carry forwards, or failed to pay himself and used complex stock option arrangements where the strike price was at market value (also highly unlikely). Reid of course knows about as much about taxes as my long dead pet cat, so his yippings on this, and repeating of the hearsay of someone equally ignorant,  do not surprise me.

Dude, I'm sure he knows as much as you about taxes, the point is his statement has nothing to do with taxes - it is beautiful politics.  Reid is great.  We need more smear-artists on our side.

There is no downside for Reid. He  "repeated" what "someone else" said, and even pointed out that it could be completely false. The people of Nevada won't remember this in 4 years (and if you think they will, then you must go to clown school).

[So the Heroes Fall]

Ah, the old "let the bastard deny it" trick. Either Romney releases his returns and reveals whatever potentially damaging thing is in them, or he doesn't and lets everyone talk some more about this and assume it's likely true. Got to hand to Reid, he's a much better politician than he is a caucus leader.

[Holmes]

Reminds me of Pelosi saying that she has some really bad dirt on Gingrich when he was up in the polls during the primary.

[RogueBeaver]

Reminds me of Pelosi saying that she has some really bad dirt on Gingrich when he was up in the polls during the primary.

Which turned out to be 15 year old, publicly available info.

On the OP: LOL. Reid playing an old LBJ trick.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians.

I guess Mormonism is only an issue when it comes to your least favorite politicians, eh Lief?

[mondale84]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians.

I guess Mormonism is only an issue when it comes to your least favorite politicians, eh Lief?

Reid isn't in your face about being a part of that Satanic cult...

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians.

I guess Mormonism is only an issue when it comes to your least favorite politicians, eh Lief?

Reid isn't in your face about being a part of that Satanic cult...

...but he is a member. 

[mondale84]

Harry Reid is one of my favorite politicians.

I guess Mormonism is only an issue when it comes to your least favorite politicians, eh Lief?

Reid isn't in your face about being a part of that Satanic cult...

...but he is a member. 

#sarcasm