Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of Every Voice. In a release, the group’s CEO David Donnelly said, “In the presidential race this year, Americans face a clear choice. One candidate wants the voices of all people to be heard in our democracy. Another has decided his road to the White House depends on demonization and demagoguery, preying on our worst fears as a nation.” Clinton released the following statement in response to receiving the group’s endorsement.
“I am honored to earn the first-ever presidential endorsement of Every Voice.
To strengthen our democracy, we need to get secret, unaccountable money out of our politics and get the voices of Americans back in. Every Voice is leading that fight. They uncover how special interests interfere with our democracy and block progress on critical issues like addressing climate change, preventing gun violence, and raising the minimum wage. And they have smart, concrete ideas on how to change our broken campaign finance system.
I’ve made campaign finance reform a cornerstone of my campaign from the beginning. If elected, this will be a top priority for my presidency. And I will be a strong partner to everyone working toward that goal.
In my first 30 days in office, I will propose a constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United Supreme Court decision. I’ll appoint Supreme Court justices who understand how deeply that decision damaged our democracy. We’ll work to amplify the voices of Americans and make it easier for citizens to run for office by supporting small-donor matching. And we’ll fight for more robust disclosure requirements.
The United States is the world’s oldest democracy and the greatest country in the world. I believe deeply that our democracy should work for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. We’ve got to do better. Organizations like Every Voice are working to do that every day. As President, I will be their partner.”
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.
Today, Hillary Rodham Clinton released her plan for campaign finance reform. In a release on her website, Clinton outlined points to her plan to cut untraceable money and the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations from politics. The proposal has three main points. First, overturn the Citizens United ruling by appointing Supreme Court Justices dedicated to overturning it and passing a Constitutional amendment. Next, end the flow of unaccountable money that requires public disclosure of donations and spending by outside organizations, requiring publicly traded companies to disclose contributions, and require all federal government contractors to report all political spending. Finally, she hopes to make the voices of everyday Americans heard over those who contribute large amounts by enacting a donor matching program, lower contribution limits, and enforce all campaign finance laws.
The goal of the plan is to ensure that average Americans have a voice in choosing their elected leaders and not allowing those with the deepest pockets to call the shots. Clinton has been a critic of the Citizens United ruling. Clinton’s campaign released a video (above), and you can read the full details of Clinton’s plan by clicking HERE.
Tonight, ABC will air an interview by David Muir with Clinton that will cover a number of topics including the agreement with Iran, her use of a private email server as Secretary of State, and her campaign. Details from the interview will be posted later this evening.
Hillary Clinton Speeches 