OpenArgsWiki

February 21, 2017

Listen to the Episode

Guest

• Tony Di Fatta

From The Official Website:

In today’s episode, we take a look at one of your most requested questions: what might be in Donald Trump’s taxes!

We begin, however, with a preliminary question from Jim Sabatowski, who asks us what’s the big deal with Trump’s tax returns, anyway? Is there a good reason to think we can get information that’s necessary to evaluate a candidate?

Next, we give you part one of our two-part interview Tony Di Fatta, a practicing CPA, to take a deep-dive into all the things we might — and might not — find in the event that Donald Trump’s taxes are ever disclosed. All of this is meant to shed some light on the question: should Democrats be focused on finding out what’s in Trump’s taxes?

After our main segment, we inaugurate a new segment about how close President Trump is to impeachment with a question about 18 USC § 1001 and the prohibition against making false statements. With a bonus reference to The Price Is Right!

Finally, we end with the answer to Thomas Takes the Bar Exam question #11 about the best evidence rule.

Show Notes & Links

1. To find out more about Tony, click here for his website, or give him a call at (443) 791-5726.
2. This is a link to Donald Trump’s 2016 financial disclosures.
3. Here’s the hilarious Onion article, “You People Made Me Give Up My Peanut Farm!“
4. This is the text of 18 USC § 1001.

Law Talkin' Stuff

It's in the Constitution

• Emoluments Clause

Lawsplaining

• 18 US Code §1001
• Federal Rules of Evidence 1002

Law Court Thingies

• CREW v Trump (2017)

Magic Law Words

• Discovery
• Best Evidence Rule
• High Crimes & Misdemeanors
• Impeachment
• Impeachment & Removal
• In camera
• Knowing & Willfully
• LLC
• Materially False Statement
• Motion to Compell
• Presidential Immunity
• Standing

Organizations

• Brown & Root
• CREW
• FBI
• Halliburton
• IRS
• Ninth Circuit
• The Onion

People

• Barry Bonds
• Donald Trump
• Michael Flynn
• Norm Eisen
• Spiro Agnew

References

• George W Bush
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Lyndon Johnson
• OJ Simpson
• President Pence
• Richard Nixon
• Sponges Have No Feet
• Zuckerman Spader

Topics

• Agnew Resignation
• Barry Bonds' Steroid Scandal
• Impeachment
• OJ Trial
• Presidential Tax Returns
• Trump Administration Resignations, Retirements & Firings

Content

• [00:00:00] Intro
• [00:02:05] Listener Questions: Why do we need to see the President's tax returns?
• [00:09:28] Main Segment: (Guest Q&A) Donald Trump's tax returns
  • [00:11:34] If the CREW lawsuit is dismissed on standing grounds, will it happen before or after discovery?
  • [00:12:33] Patron questions with Tony Di Fatta
  • [00:12:51] Could multiple levels of LLCs obscure Trump's finances? (What can you ask for in discovery? Can third parties ask private information not be disclosed?)
  • [00:21:00] Would his tax returns disclose Trump's net worth?
  • [00:25:50] Would a large loan from a foreign non-government entity appear on a tax return?
  • [00:27:07] If Trump was involved in tax evasion would we have heard about it on the news already?
  • [00:29:02] Foreign loans part 2: Would a forgiven foreign loan appear on tax returns?
  • [00:33:41] Would there be a distinction between US income and foreign income?
  • [00:34:18] Would we be able to learn the value of his various holding and brand?
  • [00:35:12] Would tax returns confirm claims about using misuse of Foundation Funds?
• [00:38:20] Yodel Mountain: Flynn resignation
  • [00:51:13] What happens if the election is found to be stolen?
• [00:56:51] New Patron Tuesday
• [00:58:38] Thomas Takes The Bar Exam: Producing an actual document or able to testify what was seen (answer)
• [01:04:18] Outro