NYT Editor May Go to JAIL for Illegally Publishing Trump’s Tax Returns

03 Oct, 2016 by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

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I am just as curious as others as to what is in Donald Trump’s taxes, but the way the New York Times released what was sent to them was illegal and they should be held accountable. It’s one thing if Trump releases his taxes himself, it’s quite another if someone steals those documents, mails them to the media who then releases them. The ends do not justify the means here.

The editor of the New York Times says he is willing to go to jail over this one… I suggest he pack his bags. Unless of course, Obama’s DOJ steps in and gives him immunity like everyone else these days. That’s a real possibility here. Donald Trump says he will sue the New York Times over this and I don’t blame him. I may not support Trump, but the law was violated here and Trump’s privacy and rights were stomped on.

From The Washington Post:

The New York Times executive editor said during a visit to Harvard in September that he would risk jail to publish Donald Trump’s tax returns. He made good on his word Saturday night when the Timespublished Trump tax documents from 1995, which show the Republican presidential nominee claimed losses of $916 million that year — enough to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years afterward.

Federal law makes it illegal to publish an unauthorized tax return:

It shall be unlawful for any person to whom any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) is disclosed in a manner unauthorized by this title thereafter willfully to print or publish in any manner not provided by law any such return or return information. Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.

The New York Times cannot use the First Amendment and freedom of the press to excuse violating the law. It doesn’t work that way. I noted that they would not publish information on Hillary Clinton’s email scandal, but they were more than willing to publish Trump’s tax returns. They seem selective in their righteous indignation here.

As I said in an earlier piece, you can’t trust the media much at all anymore. Half of them are propagandists for the left and the other half are for the right. Finding the truth in the news is getting harder and harder out there.

The New York Times willfully broke the law and needs to face the music over it to the fullest extent of the law.