Hillary for America released a statement on Thursday following a speech by Donald Trump in which he said that he “regrets” some comments that he has made. HFA Deputy Communications Director Christina Reynolds responded to Trump’s “apology” with the following statement:
“Donald Trump literally started his campaign by insulting people. He has continued to do so through each of the 428 days from then until now, without shame or regret. We learned tonight that his speechwriter and teleprompter knows he has much for which he should apologize. But that apology tonight is simply a well-written phrase until he tells us which of his many offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets—and changes his tune altogether.”
Hillary Clinton met with several top law enforcement officials form across the country on Thursday. During a meeting in New York City, Clinton briefly addressed the media and the group and spoke about the importance of working with law enforcement groups to ensure they are getting the required training and resources for them to keep the public safe. She said, “I think we can come together with a sense of shared purpose, and a belief in our common destiny to have a purpose where we go forth united and do everything possible to respond to any legitimate questions, to find answers together and to keep our communities safe, to protect lives and property, while also respecting every single American.”
The of officials that attended the meeting represent a wide variety of populations and included decades of experience. Those attending the discussion included: New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus, New York City Chief of Department James O’Neil, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Camden Police Chief Scott Thomson, and Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Following her brief remarks, Clinton listened to the concerns of each of the officials and the challenges they face in their respective jurisdictions. A video of Clinton’s statement is below.
Meanwhile, in Bozeman, Montana, actress Jennifer Garner attended a fundraiser on behalf of Hillary for America. The event was hosted by Carol Williams.
On Thursday, Hillary for America released information and a new television ad calling the lack of tax returns from Donald Trump into question. While Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine have made their tax returns public, Trump has yet to do so. View the ad and read the HFA’s release below.
Donald Trump’s Tax Returns: What’s He Hiding?
For 40 years, major party nominees have publicly released their tax returns – a simple and basic disclosure, made to the American people as they determine which candidate is best fit for the presidency. In accordance with this decades-old tradition, Hillary Clinton has made nearly 40 years of tax returns available to the public over the course of her career, dating back to 1977. You can find the past 9 years of her returns here.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump refuses to release his tax returns, despite his promise in 2014 that he “absolutely” would release them if he ran for president. Watch Trump promise to release his returns here.
TRUMP: “If I decide to run for office, I’ll produce my tax returns, absolutely, and I would love to do that.”
Of course, Trump changed his mind when he actually became a candidate for president.
TRUMP: “I want to release my tax returns but I can’t release it while I’m under an audit.”
Contradicting his own logic, Trump has released his tax returns while under audit in the past – when the disclosure of his tax returns would benefit his business interests – such as his application for a license to open a casino.
CNN: “Donald Trump insists he won’t release his tax returns during his 2016 presidential run because those returns are the subject of ongoing Internal Revenue Service audits. When he’s had casinos on the line, it’s been a different story.”
Further, Trump has the ability to slow down the audit of his tax returns depending on his rate of response to the IRS – meaning he may be able to make his poor excuse, that his audit prevents his tax return disclosure, last as long as he wants.
WSJ: “Donald Trump says he will release his tax returns when an IRS audit concludes… the Republican presidential nominee omits one major point: He and his attorneys have substantial knowledge about when the audit will end and some ability to slow the process.”
Considering Trump has released his taxes under audit before, and his actions determine the speed at which the IRS can complete the audit, why won’t Trump release his tax returns and what is he hiding? Here’s a few theories:
Trump may not be worth the $10 billion that he claims
Prominent Republicans question what Trump is hiding in his tax returns:
George Will: “Perhaps one more reason why we’re not seeing his tax returns is because he is deeply involved in dealing with Russian oligarchs.”
Mitt Romney: “Either he’s not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is” or “There’s a bombshell in Donald Trump’s taxes.”
Mark Sanford: “I Support You, Donald Trump. Now Release Your Tax Returns.”
Is there ANY way to make Trump release his tax returns? Yesterday, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member Chris Murphy are calling for the Senate to vote on their bill, the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, to require presidential nominees to release their tax returns after their conventions.
In the meantime, media, pundits, and Americans across the country continue to challenge Trump to release his tax returns.
Hillary for America announced that Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by former United States Treasurer Rosario Martin. Martin served during the administration of President George W. Bush. In a statement, Martin explains that while she is a Republican, she has set aside politics and considered her country first. She said that while she has “disagreed with and criticized Hillary Clinton’s positions, but I have come to the conclusion that she would be a far better president than the Republican candidate could ever be.” A full copy of Martin’s statement is below.
“I have been a Republican since I became a U.S. Citizen in 1984 and was proud to vote for Ronald Reagan’s reelection. Eventually, I was given the incredible honor to be the United States Treasurer, the first Mexican-born to hold this title.
I have been a loyal, trusted and fiery fighter for every Republican presidential candidate. I have been a delegate to the previous five Republican conventions. But since July 2015, when a certain candidate, upon entering the political arena, showed his contempt for Mexican immigrants by stating they were drug dealers, rapists and murderers, I have voiced my disgust and have warned one and all of the perilous threat he was to our party, our nation and the world.
I had hoped against hope that my party would listen. After all I had the personal commitment of our party chair, after the catastrophic loss of Mitt Romney, that Hispanics were going to be an important voting bloc for the party and that significant efforts would be made to augment their numbers in our party.
Maybe I was naive, maybe it was just a strong desire to believe. But the party left me and my community all alone again. It has had plenty of time to stand up for my community, but it has chosen not to do so. I have come to the devastatingly painful realization that my party right now doesn’t want my vote nor that of my community. Evidently it is not important, or not as important as some other voting bloc.
So, for me to consider the unthinkable–to vote for a Democrat–has been a profound soul searching process. Leaders are tested time and time again and so, I will stand up for my community against the menace of a tyrannical presidency that does not value the countless contributions of immigrants across its beautiful and bountiful history.
I have disagreed with and criticized Hillary Clinton’s positions, but I have come to the conclusion that she would be a far better president than the Republican candidate could ever be. She understands that words spoken from the White House have consequences, that sarcasm is not a strategy when dealing with delicate world situations, that our friends and foes listen to every word spoken by our president and react accordingly.
There is too much at stake both domestically and abroad to have a thoughtless individual at the helm of the most important economy in the world.
My party and its standard bearer leave me no choice; on November 8, I will vote for Hillary Clinton.”
Hillary Clinton Speeches 