‘He Certainly Speaks for Himself’: Is the White House Backing Away From Reid’s Tax Slur?
- Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:34pm by
Becket Adams
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Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) last Tuesday claimed an anonymous source told him Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney went 10 years without paying any taxes. Without providing any evidence or elaborating on his “sources,” Sen. Reid repeated this claim from the floor of the Senate.
The reaction has been surprisingly bipartisan.
People on both sides of the aisle have expressed shock at Sen. Reid’s audacity and some have even called on President Obama to put an end to the smear. As Sen. Reid has refused to explain himself and the president has yet to comment on the issue, a few reporters on Monday pressed White House Press Secretary Jay Carney for clarification.
“President [Obama] has talked a lot about changing the tone in this town, why hasn’t he picked up the phone and asked Harry Reid to stop making a charge like that?” asked Fox News’ Ed Henry.
“Look, I think again that the idea that people telling Harry Reid what to do is inconsistent with what everyone here understands to be — ” Carney started to respond.
“But you can express your opinion that,” Henry interjected.
Carney then tried to explain to members of the press that tax loopholes are bad and people like Mitt Romney use them.
“[T]hat is not the charge. The charge is Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for ten years. Does the White House believe that allegation?” the reporter pressed.
“I would refer you to Senator Reid for, I can’t, only Senator Reid knows his source, which he has discussed, so I’ll refer to you for that,” Carney said.
ABC’s Jon Karl entered later in the discussion to force an answer (or at least an opinion) out of Carney.
“One more on Harry Reid. It’s a simple question. Does the president think that this allegation coming from Harry Reid, without any evidence, made on the Senate floor, is that below the belt? Does that cross the line?” Karl asked.
Carney said the president is all for transparency.
“The issue here is one of transparency and, again, as the president sees it, in regards to his candidacy, one, it is an important tradition. It allows the American people to get a sense of the candidate’s background,” Carney responded.
“You can talk to Senator Reid. I‘m sure he’ll address this issue if you ask him. He certainly speaks for himself. The president is focused on the issues that matter most to the American people,” he added.
Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter
(H/T Fox Nation, Hot Air)
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Comments (58)
Formulas
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:27pmObviously, Mitt Romney has done nothing wrong… no matter what he paid! The IRS would of crawled up his butt by now if he had, guaranteed!
Report Post »Verceofreason
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:36pmNo one is claiming Romney did anything wrong.
Report Post »On a very surface level – it doesn’t look nice for a President to get his federal taxes down to zero,
or whatever, because he has a dozen accountants and loophole after loophole.
You folks love to use the word PATRIOT a lot.
This looks very shabby, What arrogance on the part of the Romneys knowing he would seek
to run again.
wakewiseone
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 3:41amyou re right. given what i perceive as the complexity of mitt’s tax return, he probably gets audited EVERY YEAR.
Report Post »Absalom
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 3:53amIf this President is all about transparency then let him unseal his records first.
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 1:08pmVOR,
Report Post »Obama #1 GE not only didn’t pay any taxes on 7 billion in 2010 it actually got million from the government.
Secret Squirrel
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 6:05pm.
Report Post »Carney has the world’s toughest job,
trying to make the White House seem sane.
Gibbs failed, Carney can B.S. with the best and
keep a straight face.
Wdawg
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:26pmOnly person that I know that has seen Romney’s tax records is John McCain. Has John called Harry a liar yet? Maybe Romney just paid an extremely low amount of taxes and did so legally.
Report Post »thibx
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:23pmhe sure is not tony snow. the best spokesman of all.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:17pmBut I am sure that Barack, as he did with the OWS, “ feels the frustration ” that poor old Harry is feeling as he cries out in the Senate another Democrat change thing : ” You are guilty until you prove that you are innocent ! ” Nobama 2012 No Democrats 2012
Report Post »Tri-ox
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:16pmWhatever – we all know that obama is behind this – Reid is just doing obama’s bidding.
Report Post »jzs
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:31pmRomney won’t release his tax returns. He can’t. If he did he’d lose the election. Why else would he violate the tradition of releasing tax returns that all Presidential candidates have since dad did the sixties?
Simple, he can‘t show American’s how he‘s conducted his finances and avoided paying taxes in ways that the rest of us can’t. We already know that this person who make 100 times you and me pays a lower percentage than we do. If people realized, in addition to that, he actually pay less dollars than you and me, and how much he made when Americans were losing jobs at the end of Bush’s term (without pay taxes), he knows the backlash would be so strong there’s no way he could win.
He won’t release his taxes. He gave them to McCain running for VP, but he’s not about to release them to you. And you know why. Ya hate him already. And you’d hate him even more if you realized how you suffered while he made millions. You may think you want a semi-billionaire for President, but if you knew how he profited while you got shafted you wouldn’t. You know that. I know that. But mostly? Romney knows that. That’s why you will not see his tax returns.
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:58pmJZs its funny you should say that considering obama won’t release his transcripts, his B.C., his SSN, numbers and where they came from, and last where the money came from to pay for obama’s schooling! Ya little P_ssAnt! So lets see all the Public obama Records under barack Insane obama, and Berry Sotero! But he won’t because he knows the Public would boot his A_s out the backdoor of the White House, if he did! I’m hoping Romney says, as soon as you release all these, I’ll release my taxes!
Report Post »MOCPOC93
Posted on August 10, 2012 at 12:23pmJZS – paying less than you and I? I am not paying millions in taxes are you? Besides if there was any credence to this, don’t you think Barry would have the IRS arresting him? People that believe this stuff are idiots.
Report Post »Chromo200
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:15pmThen Axelrod should get on TV and tell us that this issue was a Reid issue and not a Obama re-election issue. Did any one notice Carney’s nose grew a little.
Report Post »Rolandd
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:41amI’d believe about every third word Jay (Con) Carney says…..maybe.
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:15pmI really think this is a non issue. All the honest Americans know you only pay the taxes you have to and if you find a loop hole to save money you use it. The only people that will buy into this crock are the ones that were not going to give Romney a fair shake anyway. The only question here left to be asked is “is NV proud of their Senator?
Report Post »scrapadapolis
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:11pmI have a 22 year old daughter,and raised her the same as I,No.1 Either tell me the truth now,because when I find out you lied to me your punishment will be 10 fold.No.2 Those who throw blame or alligations at such a tone to cover up what wrong doing they were initally caught doing are always guilty.
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:11pmI’m not sure about everyone else, but I can’t wait for Romney to start asking questions about obama! Maybe he’ll start at the first debate! I can see some Left MSNBC anchor “dead weight” to ask Romney, ” Mr. Romeny when are you going to release 10 years of your taxes”? and Gov. Romney says “as soon as president obama releases all of his school transcripts, including all grades and all aid given to and from whom ever gave him stuff under Bothe his names Barry Sotero and barack insane obama! And all other things like different SSN numbers used by both names”! And then say, when obama does this he‘ll give his taxes but until then he won’t!
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:39pmHey all, you’ll love this!
You know how the Clintons have a Daughter named Chesea? She just did a story about Donald Trump asking for obama transcripts, on WND!
http://www.wnd.com/2012/08/trump-renews-push-to-unseal-obama-records/
\
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:43pmLike I was saying, the Irony of it all is that Both parents are Influentuial Democrats, do you think maybe she wants her mom to Take the Nomination from obama at the Democratic National Convention? I’ve heard her dad believes Hilary should!
Report Post »www.TopTheNews.com
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:02pmHarry Reid getting hung out to dry?
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!
Report Post »nobull14
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:02pmWhat a no answer pile of Democrap !!!!!
Report Post »justangry
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:01pmJay Carney is such an arroganat little jerk.
Report Post »ImASouthernPatriot
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:00pmMaybe we should be checking dirty Harrys tax records. Smells like a deaf fish stuck in the river banks for weeks. He makes $197k a year yet he’s worth 10 million. Do you think it’s off of some of those smelly land deals he made? yep! Thanks NV for putting this fool back in a position of power. Now lets see Nancy’s records too. I bet there are some sweet pineapple deals going down.
Report Post »ALL4FREEDOM
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:00pmEd, Minister of Propaganda Carney will never give you a straight answer to a straight question. Next time you try to get one, offer him a chair, because all the spinning must be making him dizzy. Gov Romney needs to take his balls out of his sock drawer and put them to use. If he has any character at all, the only response to the good Senator can be: either present your evidence on the Senate floor within 24 hours, or resign, because you lack the integrity and honesty to be a Senator. And by the way, you bishop needs to have a word with you.
Report Post »soybomb315_II
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:59pmit’s good cop – bad cop…they will be laughing all the way to november
Report Post »Want our country back
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:57pmI suspect that Mitt Romney is the only one that could beat BO this time in history. He is so squeaky clean and they can’t resort to their Chicago dirty tactics. That’s why all of this nonsense from Harry Reid. It’s actually funny when you think about it. They have NOTHING. 3 cheers for Mitt’s team.
Report Post »soybomb315_II
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:07pmyou gotta be kidding me. Anybody with a spine and constitutional principles can beat obama – I’m not sure if Romney can do it
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:22pmDo ya think Harry Reid would let us see his for the Last 10 years? I think if we make it to the Election, without obama declaring Martial Law, collapsing the Economy, or the Dollar and Romney gets into and Sworn into office; we need to change a few things! Like Excutive Orders, Sealing Records, and Clarifying Natural Born Citizens, and last Auditing the Federal Reserve! And if the Fed. don’t let us, getting rid of the Federal Reserve and creating a Govt. Office that Only deals with US interests! Instead of robbing is Blindly! Also, kick the UN and all its officials out of America!
Report Post »FlagWavingPatriot
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:55pmWhat a disgusting man. We pay this guy’s salary to stand in front of us every day to lie…lie for his lying boss.
If there was truly justice in this nation, he‘d spend the rest of his days in a small prison cell for betraying the public’s trust.
Report Post »ImASouthernPatriot
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:55pmLeave dirty Harry hanging and then hang Nancy too! We want to see both their tax returns. Harry makes $197k a year yet he’s worth 10million. Think it had anything to do with his land deals? ha. yeah, we thought so. The people of NV were fools for putting this man back in any position of power!
Report Post »possom
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:48pmLooks like that cross dressing harry reid is going to see what the bottom of the bus looks like. Now lets see some collage transcripts from king barry.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:47pmThe only reason Obama appears to be backing off is to cover his own tail; the fact of Reid and the accusations are dragging the Democratic party down, and soon will take Obama with them.
And good riddance.
Report Post »docgreen
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:59pmI’m waiting for Romney steps up and starts to ask obama about Transcripts, Name Changes,
Report Post »DeathRattle
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:47pmThey aren’t backing away from anything, they floated the “trial balloon” it hurt them so they are going to try something new, same as the “felony” Romney committed. The left is a joke, full of empty heads and running mouths.
Report Post »pmjr-jones
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:43pmi know get rid of all 70′s kids and tell social security there is not enough money and raise taxes that will help out
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:41pmHarry is kind of like that 5 day old fish in the refrigerator…you just leave, it in hopes someone else will toss it out.
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:40pmOf course they will back away, Chicago politics are “You hire someone to sling mud for you, that way you stay sparkly clean”. Dirty Harry is just the Zoo Monkey throwing feces and screaming, looking crazy and will take all the heat. Besides, he isn’t up for reelection for another 4 years. By that time, everyone will forget the lies, besides that, what stays in Vegas, kicks back bribes to Harry. Oh was that unsubstantiated? Sorry Harry, but you are a pedo rapist afterall, and you punch babies in the face.
Report Post »randy
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:37pmShow us your college records OBAMA!
Report Post »barber2
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:18pmRandy: Try Soetoro. Maybe you’ll get his attention…
Report Post »Verceofreason
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 9:38pmHis name is Obama, like his biological father.
Report Post »His mother’s second husband NEVER adopted him.