Trump aide: He’s paid ‘hundreds of millions’ in taxes

Donald Trump has paid “hundreds of millions” in taxes over the years, his campaign manager said Tuesday, rebuffing criticism he has received since The New York Times reported he may have been able to avoid paying federal income taxes for 18 years. 

{mosads}“You look around New York, and other cities, but particularly here, and you see the fruits of Donald Trump’s business acumen,” Kellyanne Conway said Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.” 

“But the fact is, this man has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes over decades. Excise taxes, federal payroll taxes, city, state and local taxes real estate taxes, property taxes.”

The Times reported Saturday that a $916 million loss Trump reported on his 1995 income tax returns could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income tax for up to 18 years. 

The Times obtained fragments of Trump’s 1995 tax records, not previously released, that show the celebrity businessman reported a federal adjusted gross income loss of $915.7 million in the wake of financial struggles at three Atlantic City casinos, his airline business and purchase of Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel.

Trump has not released his tax returns, so it’s unclear if he paid federal income tax in subsequent years. 

The Trump campaign hasn’t denied the report, but the GOP presidential nominee bragged to supporters at a rally Monday that he has “brilliantly” used tax laws to his benefit. 

“I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit. … Honestly, I have brilliantly used those laws,” Trump said at a rally in Colorado.