Rudy Giuliani: If Trump avoided paying taxes, then he's a 'genius

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani, a close adviser to Donald Trump, says the Republican candidate is a "genius" if he avoided federal income taxes and noted that poor people can take advantage the same tax "loophole."

[sharequote align="right"]"The reality is he's a genius."[/sharequote]

Giuliani told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that if Trump hadn't used his business loses to his advantage on his taxes, he would have been sued by any business partners and shareholders.

"The reality is he's a genius," said Giuliani. The New York Times obtained tax documents from 1995 that showed a $916 million loss in federal taxable income, a loss large enough to allow him to avoid paying federal taxes for as many as 18 years.

When asked whether such a loophole was fair, Giuliani noted that many Americans have such low incomes that they aren't required to pay federal income taxes either.

"A lot of the people that are poor take advantage of loopholes and pay no taxes. Those are loopholes also," he said.

Watch Giuliani's complete interview below:

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