Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and fellow billionaire, challenged Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to release his tax returns.
The closer we get to the general election, the more the Trump campaign is feeling the heat. Some of the hottest contention surrounds the releasing, and ultimately the exposure, of Trump’s taxes.
Hoffman has not only urged Trump to release his taxes, but he’s calling on other Republicans to insist that he do so as well.
Hoffman told CNN’s Erin Burnett:
“The income tax doesn’t lie.”
Hoffman is offering to donate up to $5 million if Trump releases his tax returns before the final presidential debate. Reid Hoffman suggested he would donate the $5 million among several charities which helped veterans groups.
It’s important to note that Hoffman is a strong supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. He believes Clinton is the most qualified candidate in U.S. history to be president.
Hoffman believes a wealthy person’s tax return is a clear window into the character and intentions of that person. He says:
“I’m a great believer in American democracy and I think it’s really important that everyone’s informed about all kinds of things about the person who hopes to lead them… It’s a question of whether or not there’s conflicts of interest … (the taxes) actually show you, what the person’s actually like.”
Within the last several weeks, Clinton has released nearly 40 years worth of tax returns. Trump however, has yet to release any. Trump claims he’s under an IRS audit. We know this to be true. We also know this audit is not a legal barrier to his releasing his taxes.
Many experts have disputed that being under audit has no bearing on whether or not someone can release their returns. The simple fact is, if Donald Trump wanted to release his tax returns for the world to see, he could.
Watch LinkedIn co-founder challenge Trump in this video:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
