Hypocrisy in politics is nothing new. Frankly, there is not much new in politics at all. Having become so bored with the day-to-day flip-flopping, double talk, and outright corruption, few scandals are even shocking anymore. Elected officials are barely even trying to cover up their transgressions. Instead, the all too familiar trend is to bash political opponents or simply make accusations (founded in fact, or not) for violations to which they themselves are actually engaged, accused, or even guilty.
Those engaged in these activities need a mirror – and definitely psychiatric therapy. We should send many of them back home in the next election for long term therapy.
In 2012 then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid famously lied when claiming that then presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid no taxes. Without any verifiable information or cause, a powerful Washington figure made damaging allegations against his political foe. Despite the calls for someone else’s transparency, Reid refused to publicly release his own tax returns.
After having been caught lying on the Senate Floor and elsewhere, there were no corrections, nor apologies. There were, however, more calls by politicians for the release of tax information. The simultaneous refusal by Reid and other accusers to release their own information while demanding others do it should make us all wonder.
One would have thought that watching Reid (and other Democrats on Capitol Hill) twist themselves into ethical pretzels over lies would have taught them a lesson. But unfortunately, the playbook continues with Donald Trump as the target of choice.
The continuous call for Trump to release his tax returns has been ongoing since his first day on the campaign trail. Despite the explanation that audits and other considerations prevent him from agreeing to release information about his finances – much of it has been leaked, widely reported, and of course criticized.
Using deductions and other legal methods to reduce tax burdens (as critics have attacked) is something all taxpayers should work to utilize – but cheating, of course, is illegal.
One of the most vocal Trump critics, House Government Reform & Oversight Committee Chairman, Elijah Cummings (D-MD), has focused intently on getting his hands on the president’s tax returns. However, now he seems fearful about accusations over his own financial deals.
Seemingly on a fishing expedition, Cummings is using (or more likely, abusing) his authority to try and subpoena 10 years of the president's accounting records, including tax forms. An attempt quickly thwarted (at least temporarily) by a lawsuit from Trump.
The lawsuit and commentary from the president and his supporters show how the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has become obsessed with finding anything to hurt their political enemies – even if they have to make it up out of thin air.
After failing with the various investigations so far, damaging the president politically seems out of reach for them – and their desperation is showing. Free speech and expression is a beautiful thing – but should never be abused by government to harm someone needlessly, or in an attempt to gain political power.
This obsession with “getting Trump” may have clouded Cummings' judgment considering the allegations coming to light around his own tax scandals.
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has uncovered that a charity operated by Cummings' spouse, Maya Rockeymoore, received millions of dollars from companies and interest groups that would have direct interest and business before the congressman and committee he chairs. She then allegedly funneled money from the charity to a for-profit entity to pay herself.
NLPC investigator Tom Anderson described the accusations as “self-dealing” and “taking the charity’s resources and turning them into personal profits. IRS law doesn’t allow a charity for this purpose. This isn’t for the public interest, this is for her personal interest.”
Several other charity watchdog groups have expressed their uneasiness with this pattern of facts and echoed the calls for transparency by Cummings. Tax returns will likely reveal the truth.
Their response? Well, they simply attack those bringing forward the accusation as politically motivated.
The allegations are backed up. The publicly available documents are contained in the NLPC complaint. Much more proof than anything Harry Reid offered against Mitt Romney – or any of the chorus of Democrats, led by Cummings, demanding Trump’s taxes have.
The hypocrisy of the left continues. They refuse to do themselves that which they demand of others – and ignore their own crimes (that can likely be proven) while accusing others with no basis in fact.
Keep throwing stones, glass house dwellers, you are your own worst enemy.