Clinton allies key on Trump comment not paying taxes is ‘smart’

by Ben Kamisar - 09/28/16 10:29 AM ET

A pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC is hammering Donald Trump for bragging during Monday’s presidential debate that not paying taxes would make him “smart” with a new digital ad buy in swing states.

Democrats panned Trump’s comment in the immediate aftermath of the debate, arguing it could be a serious misstep, and the new 15-second spot by Priorities USA shows the first major attempt to take advantage of the comment.

{mosads}The web advertisement, first reported by The Washington Post, includes a short debate night clip of the two candidates. After Clinton, the Democratic nominee, finishes her argument that Trump, the Republican nominee, may be refusing to release his tax returns because he doesn’t want Americans to know “he’s paid nothing in federal taxes,” Trump responded: “That makes me smart.”

The ad then continues with Clinton’s accusation that Trump not paying taxes has deprived the military and veterans, as well as public education and healthcare system, of his tax dollars.

“My whole life, I’ve been greedy, greedy. I’ve grabbed all the money I can get, I’m so greedy,” Trump says in the ad’s concluding video, taken from a January event Trump held to honor veterans.

The spot will air online in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Justin Barasky, the spokesman for Priorities, told The Washington Post that the central theme of the ad will be repeated throughout the group’s messaging as the election nears.

“While a majority of our efforts will continue highlighting how divisive and dangerous Donald Trump is, the fact that he didn’t pay any money in federal income taxes is an important issue that could break through among all the other noise about him,” Barasky told the paper.

“Voters don’t like when you cheat on your taxes, and they certainly don’t like when you brag about how smart you are after admitting you did it.”

Trump has not released his tax returns yet, a common practice for modern presidential candidates, so it’s unclear if he’s paid taxes or how much he’s paid.

He first blamed the lack of disclosure on a federal audit, but there’s no law or policy prohibiting the publication of taxes under audit, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

More recently, Trump has promised to release his taxes if Clinton turns over the tens of thousands of emails that were deleted from her private email server from her time as secretary of State.

Old disclosures Trump filed as part of business deals show a mixed record — he paid $71,000 in federal income taxes in 1981, but none in 1978 and 1979, according to The New York Times.

Tags Donald Trump Hillary Clinton