“Nobody cares, Jonathan. You care. No one else cares,” said White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl when asked whether President Donald Trump would release his tax returns in the interest of financial transparency.
During a Sunday interview on This Week, Karl pressed Priebus in a pursuit of Trump’s tax returns as newsworthy and serving the national interest.
Watch the full interview below:
Partial transcript below:
KARL: “… Yes, I like. See, we got some news. But now I want to ask you about the president’s own taxes. It was interesting; Secretary Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, speaking of the president’s response to my question in the Briefing Room about whether or not he would release his tax returns …
Said the president has no intention of releasing his taxes.
Was he speaking for the president there?
Because until then, I had been hearing you all say, and the president saying, that he would — needed to wait until the audit to be done.
First of all, audit or no audit?”
PRIEBUS: “Well, his position is the same is that he’s under routine audit and when the audit is done, he’ll look at releasing his taxes. But let’s go back for a second.
First of all, this was an issue on the table for the American people. They didn’t care. I mean I hate —”
KARL: “Well, polls suggest that they would like to —”
(CROSS TALK)
PRIEBUS: “— same polls that said he was going to lose and he won. Hang on. You care. Other people apparently that are involved in the news and journalists and —”
KARL: “But I actually don’t want —”
PRIEBUS: ” — tax release — but the one tax release that was released showed that our president paid $38 million —”
KARL: “Did the president release that?”
PRIEBUS: “Someone released it. He paid $38 million in his taxes. No, no, the president didn’t release it. Someone obtained it illegally. But he paid $38 million in taxes. And that was supposed to be such a big night for MSNBC, they —”
(CROSS TALK)
KARL: “No, I remember well. I remember well. He paid a lot of taxes in 2005.”
PRIEBUS: ” — ended up spending (INAUDIBLE) $38 million in taxes. That was about a 25% rate. And everyone said, aw, shucks. You know what? He actually paid a ton in taxes.”
(CROSS TALK)
KARL: “I want to clarify something. I just want to clarify the president’s position on this.
I asked Sean Spicer two weeks ago whether or not it was just now — well, let’s play it. Let me see what Sean — “
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: “Always talked about, well, under audit. The president says under audit.
Is it time to just say once and for all, the president is never going release his tax returns?”
SEAN SPICER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: “Well, I have to get back to you on that.”
KARL: “You won’t — I mean is he — I mean really?”
SPICER: “Really.”
KARL: “So he may?”
SPICER: “No, I said I’d have to get back to you on that.”
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARL: “So I just want to clarify, just button this up and then we never have to ask you again.
Is he never going to release his taxes with or without audit, no audit?
Is it now the policy that he simply will not release his taxes?”
PRIEBUS: “What the president has said is that he’s under a routine audit. When the audit is over, he will look at releasing his taxes.
But again, here’s my other point — nobody cares, Jonathan. You care. No one else cares.”
KARL: “Well, don’t the American people have a right to know how this tax plan will affect the president personally?”
PRIEBUS: “This issue has been litigated. …”
KARL: “Isn’t that …”
PRIEBUS: “— before the American people. And the American people issued a judgment in November.”
KARL: “I got it.”
PRIEBUS: “And President Trump won in the most historic presidential victories in the history of our country.”
KARL: “OK.”
PRIEBUS: “And the only people asking me this question are people like you.”
KARL: “OK. OK. So — let’s — I mean I think the — you’ll hear some in Congress asking you, as well.
But let me move on. I want to ask you …”
PRIEBUS: “Like who, Nancy Pelosi?”
KARL: “– before you go — well, we’ll…”
PRIEBUS: “Chuck Schumer?”
KARL: “They’re — the Democrats are saying they would like to see you …”
PRIEBUS: “Oh, sure.”
KARL: “— make this a condition of a tax plan, any Democratic support…”
PRIEBUS: “And they’re — and the Democrat Party is in the worst shape it’s been since 1925.”
Earlier in the interview, Karl inquired about whether the Trump administration’s tax reform proposals would lower tax rates on “the wealthiest in this country,” relaying criticisms of the White House’s plans as “giveaway to the rich.”
Karl presents himself as a politically objective and non-partisan news media figure. ABC News similarly presents itself as a politically objective and non-partisan news media outlet.
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