Ann Romney: I have no idea what's in our finances, but I know it's legal, so shut up already

[ProSense]

Ann Romney: I have no idea what's in our finances, but I know it's legal, so shut up already

by Kaili Joy Gray

Oh, Ann, honey, is the pressure of the campaign trail getting to you too? Feeling a little exhausted, maybe? All that hard work of reporting back to your husband on things ladies care about wearing you down? We know it's certainly been tough on your beloved Willard. Hope you're not starting to become a little unhinged yourself.

Because, um ... what?

"We have been very transparent to what's legally required of us,” she said. “There's going to be no more tax releases given."

Mrs. Romney said if they release any more information, "it will only give them more ammunition."

In regards to their finances, she said "there's nothing we're hiding."

"It's been managed by a blind trust since before Mitt was governor, you know, 2002 forward,” she told Morales. “And so, you know, I'll be curious to see what's in there too."

So, let's see if we've got this right. Ann says the Romney money is all legal and above board, and they're not hiding anything, except that she knows whatever it is they're not hiding will be ammunition to use against the Romneys, except that she has no idea what's actually in her finances and she's "curious" too. And besides, as she told us before, she and Mitt have "given all you people need to know."

Hmmm, Ann. If you don't know what's in there, how do you know you have nothing to hide?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/15/1120427/-Ann-Romney-I-have-no-idea-what-s-in-our-finances-but-I-know-it-s-legal-so-shut-up-already

Yup, that's Mittwit's wife!

[HopeHoops]

1. Fuck you, bitch. I do the taxes and my wife signs them, but SHE knows what's in them!

If you don't know what's in the documents, don't pick up a fucking pen! How damn stupid can you prove yourself to be?

[cali]

2. please delete the bitch

keep the non-sexist fuck you though.

[PRETZEL]

4. agree

totally understand what you mean so an edit seems pretty appropriate, imo

[HopeHoops]

15. I would, other than I think it is appropriate in this case. And I don't mean a female dog.

[malokvale77]

20. Keep it. If the shoe fits,(and it does).

[HopeHoops]

21. I'm not sure how you meant that, but either way the shoe fits.

[malokvale77]

31. The shoe fits Ann.

[cali]

23. It's against DU rules to use the word.

I'm not going to alert on you, but someone else well might and then it will be deleted.

[PRETZEL]

29. Actually it was alerted on

it was allowed to stand.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

9. To be fair...

I suspect Romney's taxes are FAR more complicated than your own. It's likely that between federal and state returns, these forms run to 200-300 pages. I wouldn't be surprised if Romney himself is totally conversant with what's in his return. That's why the good lord made CPA's.

[HopeHoops]

16. I still read every sentence of every page before signing anything.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

17. Well, good on you...

But most people in Romney's position simply trust that their accountant has done it right.

[HopeHoops]

19. Yeah, they've got people to cheat for them because they aren't smart enough by themselves.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

25. Uh....Do you think that John Kerry does his own taxes?

Did Ted Kennedy? Not bloody likely.

[Politicalboi]

35. But Rmoney has been running for office

For 5 years now. They KNEW this was coming. There is no excuse for this. They had over 5 years to get this straight. He's got 5 boys who are serving their country by helping him, why not help good old dad sort his taxes. LOL!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

38. No disagreement there...

And I'm sure that, in this particular case, that Romney knows what's in his taxes and why it would be disastrous for them to be released.

[treestar]

24. They can't dodge responsibility for the result though

They can do as you say, but there is a risk.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

27. True that...

If you signed 'em, you can't go back to the IRS and seek absolution.

But you'll still have to pay whatever you owed. If you can reasonably claim that you were relying on the expert judgment of a professional and there was no intent to commit fraud, the IRS will reduce or eliminate penalties, however.

[lumpy]

44. How do you know that most people trust their accountants to do their returns right ?

Just because you say so?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

50. I'm talking about people like Romney with very complex returns

And I would know this because I'm an Enrolled Agent with the IRS and have many clients for whom I prepare returns. And NONE of them read through the return before signing. We discuss it, and then they sign it based on my word.

[lastlib]

56. They're committing perjury if they "simply trust that their accountant has done it right"...

The only way this is a defense is if they ONLY file a TRUST tax return--not a PERSONAL tax return--and it's submitted by the trustee, not by the Romneys.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

57. No, they're not...

The IRS will not hold you criminally liable for errors on the return unless there is evidence of intent to commit fraud.

[msanthrope]

11. Would you kindly edit one word from your post? nt

[HopeHoops]

18. I was called out on that, but no I won't. It fits in this rare case.

Disclaimer: I have a wife and three daughters and none of them fit the description, but generally the word "asshole" is used for males and "bitch" for females. I'm not sure why we can't just settle on "asshole" for everyone, but that hasn't caught on (although I've worked on it). I'm sorry, but that's how it is. My service dog is a bitch in the canine description. And yes, I meant it in the pejorative sense in my post. I apologize if it offended you or anyone else (classic non-apology term, but I mean it), but I can't think of another way to describe her. At least I didn't drop the C-bomb.

[msanthrope]

28. Maybe asshole doesn't catch on because some men keep using

'bitch' to describe women.

I mean, what will be your explanation when some man calls one of your daughters that word?

[malokvale77]

52. I call men bitches, when applicable.

[msanthrope]

53. Welcome to DU! nt

[malokvale77]

55. Thank you

I like it here.

[HopeHoops]

58. Well, I'd feel sorry for the guy who tried! My wife and daughters are not ones to mess with.

As for asshole, that's sort of the male equivalent. I'm an asshole. I admit it.

[heaven05]

45. roget's

in the pejorative sense to call a woman a b.... is offensive. Yet when it comes to describing a woman of the calibre of this one percenter, who is complaining and bitching about this attack on them and their tax evasion over the last decade, then it is an acceptable verb or noun.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. Yet she knows it will be "more ammunition" to be used against them?

How's that possible?

[Frustratedlady]

5. I was always told that once you sign the forms...you agreed to the forms' content.

Don't they have to sign their tax forms, either?

Must be nice to push that job off on somebody else...paid, or not.

They should send Ann home. On second thought, put her out there as their main fighter. She has more man in her than Mitt.

[lastlib]

59. It's *possible* (for a blind trust) that only the trustee signs the return....

...but I would assume that the trust pays income out to them personally, so they would have to submit personal 1040s on that. Those might not be all that complicated, though, and they would have to sign them. Even Ann could probably understand them. But the trust could be a different animal, with stuff way over her head.

[Angry Dragon]

6. Another huge idiot heard from

[Whisp]

7. they are both dolts.

or think all of the rest of us are.

holy crap, nonsensical flailing or what.

I hope they are losing sleep, the assholes.

[lastlib]

8. Then how is she signing those tax returns without committing perjury??

When you sign a federal tax return, you sign under a jurat stating that you KNOW the information is "true and correct." If you don't know it's right, you are committing perjury.

[Raven]

46. This was going to be my point. Joint Return. n/t

[gollygee]

10. It's all legal? Great, then there's no problem in releasing them.

Yay for everyone.

[TeamPooka]

12. when you fall off the horse you get right back on...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. She sounds like a brainwashed cult follower

Total faith and not the slightest doubt. Her husband is the high priest of the cult and he wants America to fall in line with his 'no questions asked' doctrine.

[kestrel91316]

43. Mormon hoi polloi are not permitted to question their superiors aka bishops.

TOTAL obedience is their doctrine. NO independent thinking or action.

[NNN0LHI]

14. She is beginning to remind me of Anna Nicole Smith

[DefenseLawyer]

22. Yes. Keep trotting her out to keep this story alive.

That Romney Campaign is a well oiled machine.

[Ruby the Liberal]

26. We are all curious, Ann.

So lets sit down and review them together. Just you and the "you people".

[tridim]

30. Go dance with your horse, idiot.

[sarcasmo]

42. +1

[grantcart]

32. We are not letting you see them because we are not hiding them.

[Politicalboi]

33. Should have asked her about

The 6 million dollar IRA.

[kestrel91316]

40. It's a $100 million IRA, I thought.

[kentuck]

34. I have no idea what is under that rock but I know it's not a snake...

What a stupid thing to say.

[nykym]

36. Someone needs to ask dear Ann

if she would buy a dressage horse from someone who said yeah the horse dances I'll get you the papers after you your check clears!

[appleannie1]

37. Wonder what it is like to have so much money you don't know how much you have.

My husband handles the money but I know to the penny how much we have and how far I can stretch it when grocery shopping.

[kestrel91316]

39. Goodwife Mittwit speaks. Kestrel laughs.

[sarcasmo]

41. The bullies don't like to be called out.

[RagAss]

47. Come on Zsa Zsa, ya gotta do better than that !

[JHB]

48. "what's legally required of us" is just weasel words

This isn't about what's "legally required". That just means they can't be charged with anything for it. Remind me how many people are "legally required" to vote for Mitt.

"What's legally required" is a minimum requirement, it's the "you must be this tall to get on this ride" level. When Mitt made hiring decisions at Bain, how many people did he hire who only gave the bare minimum they could get away with? How many investments did Mitt make where the prospectus said "we have nothing to hide, just trust us on this"?


"There's nothing we're hiding." Marvelous! Of course, Ronald Reagan famously said "trust, but verify", right? We'd like to verify.

Then there's the matter of judgment: If his financial privacy is so overwhelmingly important, why is he running? It's not as if this was a snap decision, he's been pursuing the presidency for at least six years, arguable for 20. Yet it wasn't important enough rearrange his portfolio for some five or so years so that it at least looked clean? (It's not as if he was scraping by in that time and didn't have the luxury to do so.) Five years would be passable. Pointing to other people -- people who have been in public life for decades or their heiress spouses -- is so damn childish ("but Billy did it too!&quot it's begging to be smacked back. And this on a topic where his own father set the gold standard.

It points to someone incredibly arrogant or stupid. Naturally, that's not a disqualification for people with an initial of "W.", but it's you own damn fault for letting it drag on.

[Dawson Leery]

49. Ann Romney is unlike the other Republican spouses.

She inspired great contempt from the masses.

Filth!

[Life Long Dem]

51. She may not know "what's in there"

Yet still, she would need to be going on Mitt's honesty about finances. And we all know where he stands on being honest.

[Initech]

54. Move along - nothing to see here!!!