Jon Huntsman, Sr.: I’m Not Reid’s Source, But Romney Really Needs To Release His Tax Returns
Late yesterday, several people in the blogosphere began to speculate that Harry Reid’s supposed source for his claims about Mitt Romney’s taxes was Jon Huntsman, Sr, the father of former Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr. The speculation was based mostly on a comment that one of Reid’s aides had made, and later withdrew, that the source was “a Republican.” When I read it, it sounded like silly speculation to me because I cannot conceive of any plausible circumstances under which an investor in Bain would have access to Romney’s tax returns.
In any event, Huntsman Sr. spoke today to Greg Sargent today and said he wasn’t the source, but he also said that Romney needs to release more tax returns:
The internet is alive with speculation that the secret source Harry Reid claims to have on Mitt Romney’s tax returns is major Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. He is the founder of Hunstman Corporation and the father of the former GOP presidential candidate — and the speculation is based on the fact that his profile fits with much of what we publicly know about Reid’s presumed confidante.
But I just got off the phone with Huntsman, and he confirmed to me that he is not Reid’s source.
However, in a move that could be significant, Huntsman forcefully called on Romney to release his tax returns. This matters, because Huntsman is a longtime backer of Romney — he has long been close to Romney; he supported his early campaigns; he was the national finance chairman of Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign; and he has raised a lot of money for him over the years. (He backed his own son in the latest GOP primary.)
“I feel very badly that Mitt won’t release his taxes and won’t be fair with the American people,” Huntsman told me. In a reference to Romney’s father, who pioneered the release of returns as a presidential candidate, Huntsman said: “I loved George. He always said, pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years.”
“Mr. Romney ought to square with the American people and release his taxes like any other candidate,” Huntsman said. “I’ve supported Mitt all along. I wish him well. But I do think he should release his income taxes.”
The Romney campaign thinks that they can continue to ignore the tax return issue. Clearly, they cannot.
But remember, Harry Reid is a terrible, terrible, person for daring even to insinuate something bad about Romney’s tax records.
Sarah Palin’s death panels, Donald Trump’s birtherism, and speculation Obama killed his grandmother in order to help his 2008 election? Just business as usual for Republicans.
It seems if you hold one side to a higher standard to the other, you cannot say truthfully that “both sides do it.”
“When I read it, it sounded like silly speculation to me because I cannot conceive of any plausible circumstances under which an investor in Bain would have access to Romney’s tax returns.”
SCENE:
INT. COUNTRY CLUB LOCKER ROOM, DAY, 2009
Mitt Romney and a Bain investor are dressing after a shower, a long day of golf behind them.
BAIN INVESTOR: …and so I said I’d like to fly our horses out to our island, too, but it costs so much to fuel that plane I bought exclusively for the horses’ use and what with our tax bill coming up–
ROMNEY: (Interrupting). You don’t mean income taxes, do you?
BAIN INVESTOR: (Confused.) Uh…yeah.
ROMNEY: (Shaking his head as if he’s not believing what he’s hearing.) Look. I’ll put you in touch with my accountant. He’s got my money tied up so tightly in tax havens and tax-free investments that I haven’t had to pay any taxes in ten years!
BAIN INVESTOR: By all means, give me that number.
ROMNEY: Will do.
And scene.
Here’s a scene:
Harry Reid: What can we do to screw up Romney?
Reid Aide: Let’s start a hoax that an anonymous source told you that Romney has never paid taxes in 10 years
Harry Reid: Okay, sounds good. Where do we go with this?
Reid Aide: Let’s take this to the media and they’ll eat it up because they are available for fellatio with members of the Obama re-election team anyway. The lie is love, senator.
Harry Reid: Jolly good show. Let’s do this thing!
Well, all Romney has to do to blow Reid completely sky-high is to release the tax returns. Reid’s out there on a pretty thin branch right now and he’s got no room to wiggle back to the safety of the trunk so he can climb down.
So what’s the delay, Mitt?
Romeny to Bain investor: “Invest with us, you’ll get great returns and we’ll structure it so it’s tax free. And by the way, I’m not just the founder of Bain, I’m a member!”
As if we “common folk” actually have a choice??? That has got to be the most incriminating statement to make for those that already think Romney probably has not paid any taxes for ten years!
I’m sure it was a misspeak or misquote and he really meant “release,” but I liked this line.
Huntsman said: “I loved George. He always said, pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years.”
You know, at a minimum. This was good too:
“I’ve supported Mitt all along.”
Even when he was running against your son?
@Xerxes:
Reid Aide: Let’s start a hoax that an anonymous source told you that Romney has never paid taxes in 10 years
…that can be easily disproved by the candidate, if he wants to release his tax returns like his dad did.
@Xerxes:
Come on, Kool-Aid drinkers! You can dislike my comment more than that! I better see 50 dislikes in the next hour!
@mantis:
“pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years” sounds like George’s joke, which is fine.
Other than that, who are the idiot downvoters who hate on Reid AND don’t want the taxes released?
Some serious cognitive dissonance there.
@john personna:
“pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years” sounds like George’s joke, which is fine.
You’re probably right. Well, it made me laugh. Good one, George!
I guess we will see soon enough. Now that the tax issue is hurting Romney he will have to decide if they are so toxic that they will hurt him even worse.
@Ron Beasley:
No no, you only want Romney to release his taxes if you HATE AMERICA
@Doug
You might not need access to the tax returns if you have knowledge of how Gov. Romney’s 401K worked. Such knowledge could have been quite common within Bain and among the clients of Bain. See, Talking Points Memo: Missing the Key Issue?
@DRS:
Well, if he can crush Reid’s accusations easily, he could be letting Reid walk out further on that branch to maximize the damage when he does release the returns. Plus, the more money he can get the Dems to waste on this issue, the less they have to spend on whatever the next thing. Plus, if he dumps it right before the debates, he’s all set up to do a Reaganesque “There you go again…” bit.
@nitpicker:
It’s pretty easy to picture, isn’t it? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if these type of jackholes brag about their tax avoidance schemes to each other.
@Stormy Dragon:
He’d need a total absence of advertising or neuroscience types on his staff to think that.
The time people believe taxes are a problem matters. If you rely on a quick flip, and everyone adopting a new position in a few days flat, you don’t understand human nature.
Stormy – even if Romney didn’t actually not pay taxes at all for 10 years that doesn’t get him off the hook. That’s only one suspicion… there are many other politically harmful things that Romney may be hiding.
@Stormy Dragon:
Well, if he can crush Reid’s accusations easily, he could be letting Reid walk out further on that branch to maximize the damage when he does release the returns.
Maximize the damage to whom? Reid? He isn’t running for anything.
Plus, the more money he can get the Dems to waste on this issue, the less they have to spend on whatever the next thing.
How are the Democrats wasting money on this issue?
Plus, if he dumps it right before the debates, he’s all set up to do a Reaganesque “There you go again…” bit.
Romney is no Reagan, and Obama is no Carter. If anyone is going to deliver such a memorable line, it probably won’t be Robomney. He just doesn’t have the programming.
We may have an answer here:
Romney wants to settle the issue by not talking about it.
HERE’S A SCENE:
ROMNEY AIDE: Reid is a sleazy liar. Accusing you of not having paid taxes in 10 years!
ROMNEY: I know, right?
ROMNEY AIDE: You have paid federal income taxes, right?
ROMNEY: ….
ROMNEY AIDE: Umm .. sir? You HAVE paid federal income taxes, right?
ROMNEY: Yes, federal income taxes … yes
ROMENY AIDE: So let’s release your returns and embarrass the lying scum bag.
ROMNEY: ….
ROMNEY AIDE: Umm … sir? … Sir?
ROMNEY: Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain ……
@Ron Beasley:
More evidence that Mitt is micromanaging and mismanaging his own campaign.
A politician and a fighter would have just declared that those things don’t matter, and demanded that Obama talk about what is really important. You don’t ask for a truce, you say it is over, been there, done that.
“uncle” is not a word you say.
@Ron Beasley:
Mitt Romney, battered by Democratic attacks over his Bain Capital record and taxes, is calling on President Obama to agree to a truce over his business career.
Hilarious! How’s about a truce, Barack? You don’t talk about me at all, and I won’t have to answer any questions about myself! Deal?
Here’s the quote:
“Our campaign would be — helped immensely if we had an agreement between both campaigns that we were only going to talk about issues and that attacks based upon — business or family or taxes or things of that nature,”
Business? So Romney can talk up his business experience as the reason why voters should elect him, but Obama should not talk about his business experience because it would really help out Romney’s campaign? Oh, well if it will help out your campaign, then sure! Anything to help you, Mittens. We’ll just go ahead and unilaterally disarm. No problem.
Robomney needs a software upgrade or something. This version’s full of bugs.
Nice. Obama doesn’t release his college transcripts, the birth certificate he DOES release is fake, even his lawyers stipulate this. The tax returns he DID release have people asking why other folks are paying taxes on a house he owns in Chicago and how he got out of being prosecuted in that deal with Tony Rezko.
Romney has a solid business record and has complied with the law. Obama is busy either ignoring the law or changing it via executive order, to suit his whims.
He’s even attacking the military’s right to vote in order to gain any type of parity at the polls.
Obama wants something to force Romney off the ticket and he can’t find ANYTHING. that’s why Steff Cutter is in hiding. she had to LIE in order to attack Romney.
He’s not perfect by any means but he’s a damned sight better than Obama. Now a political hack like Huntsman opens his mouth. Jon Huntsman was soundly rejected by the conservatives of the country, So much so that he had to go to work for the Obama administration to have a job.
Now we get to hear his dad get even.
You people are disgusting.You expect a ‘new tone’ in dialog and you expect the rule to apply only to conservatives. That’s not going to happen.
We’re done backing up for liberals. it’s put our country on the brink of collapse. Now you’re going to play by the rules or we’re going to make you eat crow.
@Xerxes: “Come on, Kool-Aid drinkers! You can dislike my comment more than that! I better see 50 dislikes in the next hour!”
If you really want thumbs down, you’ve got to post a message that insults everyone who doesn’t agree with you while indulging both in adolescent self-aggrandizement and Republican self-pity.
Oh, wait, you just did that. Carry on.
@Stormy Dragon: “Well, if he can crush Reid’s accusations easily, he could be letting Reid walk out further on that branch to maximize the damage when he does release the returns. ”
I don’t see the potential for “damage” that some have been talking about. If Mitt releases the returns and they’re clean, then Reid says “Sorry, Mitt, my source clearly didn’t know what he was talking about. Thanks for clearing that up!”
How’s he hurt? He’s got nothing at stake except the reliability of an unnamed person.
@wr: nice. you can’t refute anything I said so I get called names.
typical and NOT a winning strategy. We’ll see you in November. Bring your walking shoes.
@Elliott Fitchett:
the birth certificate he DOES release is fake, even his lawyers stipulate this.
Of course they did. Run along now, birther.
@Elliott Fitchett: The view into the right wing hive mind is always worse than you expect. I’m not even sure there’s anything you’ve posted there that isn’t backwards from reality, so maybe Romney’s shameless plan of getting elected through nonstop lying isn’t that dumb.
@Elliott Fitchett:
Well I’ll give you this – put a dozen inaccuracies in one comment and you reduce the odds that anyone will have patience to educate on them all.
It is what I call sending up chaff.
@Elliott Fitchett:
Uhhh… source on that last claim please?
Without that, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to stupid, birfer jail.
@mattb:
Uhhh… source on that last claim please?
If I’m up to date on my birther lore, and I think I am, he probably means this.
http://www.alipac.us/f9/obamas-lawyers-say-his-birthcertificate-likely-forgery-255140-print/
look up the case yourself. this should give you enough information to find it.
@ Xerxes
So you are dialed in with the Ronmey campaign’s core strategy of whining about mean Democrats? How is that working out?
@Elliott Fitchett:
Yep, that was it. Such silly, stupid birthers.
mattb, basically in court Obama’s lawyer stipulated that an image of a birth certificate on the Internet would not be used as evidence in that case, that it had never been presented to the court as evidence, and that they were under no requirement to present evidence of the president’s eligibility. Birthtards like Elliott have tried to claim that this means they admitted it was a forgery, which is just an absurd fantasy they concocted for themselves (much like everything they believe).
LOL! I LOVE IT!! The denial of Democrats is sweet music. You obfuscate, lie and crawfish like there’s no tomorrow in hopes that you will stave off the inevitable.
Say anything you folks like. I just want you to remember it when the election results are in. Blame it on something else. that’s worked out so well for you during the Obama administration. (yeah, it was the ATM’S fault for the economy!) all the while telling folks “they didn’t build that”.
Man, I’m going to ENJOY this coming election.
Wow, so the snopes link was already posted and yet the birther still presses on. The conspiracy is strong with this one.
@Elliott Fitchett: “nice. you can’t refute anything I said so I get called names”
Dear Moron:
When you come to a site where you are unknown and insult just about all the commenters and then demand that they respond to you only in the way you want, you are going to get called names.
As for refuting anything you said, what did you say that merited any kind of substantial response? You posted a standard bit of rightwing fantasy (“ooo! the press is all in the tank for Obama — in fact, they want to perform oral sex on him!!!”), and then you start flinging poo around because no one is paying attention to you. Here’s a hint, in case you really are this stupid: When you address people as “Kool-aid drinkers,” it’s not much of incentive to engage you in dialogue.
Why don’t you run back to Hot Air, when your genius can be truly appreciated by those who are your peers. Or try arguing with your toaster. It’s probably only slightly intellectually superior to you.
@Elliott Fitchett:
Yay, more Birther excrement.
yes, I will press on. by the way, tell Jon Huntsman to ask Arlen Specter how that whole “switching parties” thing worked out for him when he speaks at the DNC convention. He’s going to need some advice.
@wr: Now I’m confused. Are Xerxes and this birther moron the same person? Because the only one I’d responded to was Xerxes, and I’d assumed that was what he was whining about.
elliott:
No POTUS or major candidate has ever done so. For Bush, Gore and Perry, they were leaked. For Kerry, he released it after he was no longer a candidate.
Where is Mitt’s transcript? McCain’s? What is it about Obama that makes you think he should do something no other POTUS has done? He already released his BC, which is something else no other POTUS has done.
You’re essentially taking the position that Obama needs to do more than what’s normal, but it’s OK for Mitt to do less than what’s normal.
Mitt committed a felony. Proof.
Just did.
Please do. Your inadvertent public service is considerable.
@wr: No, the birther got confused right away with what was going on and who was talking to who. Shocking, isn’t it?
@al-Ameda: You forgot the laugh. That’s the real tell when Romney lies, that awkward chuckle.
I can’t help but to insult you people. I came to this site expecting some sort of common sense and instead, I get an asshat like you posting an article that provides no proof, just some guy’s opinion written down in in THIS SAME blog with no links to official documents. Just links to other blogs with hearsay in them.
hearsay, Not admissible in a court of law.
And no..I’m no lawyer, I might get the birth certificate thing wrong but I damned sure didn’t get Tony Rezko wrong, nor Obama’s attachment to him.
I didn’t get Steff Cutter wrong nor her lie.
Romney has complied with the laws and released tax returns. He’s also released his college transcripts. Moreso than Obama.
Also, I notice that every political hack that wants his tax returns refuses to release their own. (Nancy Pelosi, Horse thief Reid..oh wait, that was his great uncle Remus…must run in the family)
The LAW states that every man has the right to face his accuser and refute the evidence. Reid gives no evidence. He only states hearsay.
The same guy who is in trouble for illegally helping his son raid the Nevada coffers because he can’t win a seat in an election.
yeah. right.
Yeah call me names all you like, that’s not going to change November.
Go ahead and be butthurt now, that will make it easier for you to accept what’s coming in a couple of months.
As I explained here, there is no lie.
I presented proof that he committed a felony. When are you going to address that?
No, he hasn’t. If you claim otherwise, tell us where they are hidden.
Reid has released a series of personal financial disclosures (link), as required by Senate rules.
Reid is not a candidate. Mitt is. Everyone knows he’s hiding something. This problem is not going away.
@Elliott Fitchett:
Mitt has not released his transcripts and has released a partial return for one year. Obama has released 12 years of tax returns. I am eagerly awaiting an explanation of how 1 is more than 12.
@Elliott Fitchett: ” I came to this site expecting some sort of common sense ”
And yet instead you posted reams of birther nonsese. I’m really sorry if you’re so stupid you believe all this crap, but if you want to be greeted with open arms for it, you should really find some site for illiterate morons. I’m sure you’ll soon be their god.
well boys, you tell yourselves that in November. I promise it will make it all feel better.
your chocolate jesus is about to be in the soupline. All the bullshit in the world won’t stop that..he should know, he’s trying it.
As for Romney’s tax returns, I guess if he hasn’t complied with the law, you can always keep him off the ballot for not complying with the law.
Right? yeah, that’s what I thought.
you people have shit in your own hat and now you have to wear it. that’s comical to me.
@Elliott Fitchett: So it doesn’t bother you that pretty much everything you posted was false? You don’t see a problem with repeating claims that are not true?
@Elliott Fitchett:
your chocolate jesus is about to be in the soupline.
Ah, there it is.
that’s comical to me.
And you are a joke to all of us.
@mantis: Yup, when the birfers have nothing else to say, they make it really obvious why they’re against President Obama:
Because he’s black.
(For those who want more debunking of birfer arguments, BadFiction and ObamaConspiracy.org are good sites. Especially for those who wish to follow the antics of that nitrious-addled Moldovian, Orly Taitz, the best piece of evidence that the California Bar disciplinary committee is dead and defunct.)
nah, it’s not because he’s black, for instance, I dislike you both because you’re the kind of losers that comes in 3rd 6th and 9th in a 2 man circle jerk competition. color has nothing to do with it.
Are we close to the time when the ban hammer comes down for racist talk? If not, surely disemvowelling is called for.
@Elliott Fitchett: And a blatant racist to boot! You’re sure are hoot Elliott! Come back soon, you need to meat Jan and Indy!
I hope Mittens doubles down and his numbers continue to tank, Huntsman is voted in at a brokered convention and wins the election.
It’s amazing Romney thinks he doesn’t owe the voters an accounting, and he can just make a deal with Obama. We have two crap candidates running against each other pushed forward by the machines.
Would have been nice if Jon Huntsman Jr had released his own tax returns during his campaign… Also to explain how the family company expanded it interests greatly in China during his tenure as ambassador.
So what will you do when Romney loses? Will your head explode? Will you blame his loss on the New Black Panther Party? Certainly you won’t be back here spreading lies and gloating over fantasies…
And yet you refer to the President as “chocolate jesus”…life is really gonna suck for people like you over the next 40 years…move to Norway or Finland while you still can…
I still think the 2009 returns are the problem. I’m betting he was on the UBS list of 4,000 Americans that were hiding funds in Switzerland and he took advantage of the Amnesty. That would be part of the 2009 returns. There is also that 100 million dollar IRA – something fishy there. He won’t release his returns because he can’t. The thing I find interesting is I think Huntsman the senior knows this.
@An Interested Party: I just saw a beautiful woman running in the Olympics for Ethiopia but she lived in Sweden and was married to a Swede. It may already be too late for the likes of Elliott.
@Ron Beasley: That was a quite a ribbing in Huntsman’s comment- he feels very badly that he has to say this about Mittens- that he “wont be fair with the American People”. He’s reminding him of how he’s not measuring up to his father’s standards.
Wouldn’t that be something; He was caught up in the offshoring scandal. LOL.. show us your Wiener schnitzel, Mitt.
@Elliott Fitchett:
You came to this site expecting an intervention, to help you get back on your feet again?
You need a different website, try http://www.mentalhealth.com/
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