MSNBC reporter Chuck Todd claimed on Meet the Press that compared to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds the high ground on transparency. Speaking with Trump’s vice-presidential pick Mike Pence, Todd said:
“You guys have higher ground on this issue, on this whole idea of transparency, and her accountability.”
Really? One of the only documents to come out of the Trump campaign is a letter dripping with typically Trumpian hyperbole about the Republican nominee’s good health. Compared with the two-page health review that Clinton offered, Trump’s brief medical statement is low on details.
Documents relating to Trump’s financial health, however, are less sanguine. His Personal Financial Disclosure and his balance sheet demonstrate that Trump vastly overestimated his income in interviews and personal statements.
Trump has also repeatedly invoked Clinton’s email mismanagement during her time as Secretary of State against her, even after an FBI investigation found that Clinton’s behavior did not warrant criminal charges. Reporter Paul Singer found that Trump, however, has his own email problems:
“In 2006, when a judge ordered Donald Trump’s casino operation to hand over several years’ worth of emails, the answer surprised him: The Trump Organization routinely erased emails and had no records from 1996 to 2001. The defendants in a case that Trump brought said this amounted to destruction of evidence, a charge never resolved.”
So in what world do Trump and Pence have the moral high ground on transparency?
While Clinton has released her own tax returns all the way back to 2001 and her running-mate Tim Kaine has released his back to 2006, neither Pence nor Trump have released any tax returns. Todd, to his credit, went on to acknowledge this:
“If you guys were as transparent, releasing the tax returns, him releasing his tax returns, whatever you want to say about the Clintons, and we know this because the information has either been dragged out of them or it’s been disclosed. We don’t have any disclosures. We don’t have your tax returns.”
Pence promised to release his tax returns within the week, and confirmed Trump’s would also be forthcoming.
“Donald Trump and I are both going to release our tax returns. I’ll release mine in the next week. Donald Trump will be releasing his tax returns at the completion of an audit.”
Todd wasn’t exactly playing softball with Pence. After Pence pledged to release his tax returns alongside Trump’s, Todd pointed out:
“But that won’t be before the election.”
Pence’s reply was, unsurprisingly, evasive.
“The issue here – well, we’ll see.”
