MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski: Trump Was “Brilliant” For Bragging About How He Exploited The Tax Code

Brzezinski: “Unless Laws Were Broken,” His Tax Returns Are “Not An Issue”

From the October 4 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

Video file

MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): So I've just noticed a confidence here that I don't think should be there among the [Hillary Clinton] campaign, I'm sorry. But I mean, you think about this tax thing and were laws broken and did The New York Times find any laws were broken? Were any laws broken?

MARK HALPERIN: No.

BRZEZINSKI: OK so [Donald Trump] talks about brilliantly using this system, great. Hillary Clinton could have had that same reaction to her speech money, that she says she's going to change Wall Street, but you know what, I used the system to make millions of dollars. But instead she hides it. Donald Trump just doesn't hide it. He's very comfortable with the fact that he followed the law and made a lot of money. She also followed the law and made a lot of money and for some reason it's OK to look at that speech money and somehow we just let it go because she's -- her campaign keeps it kind of under -- it's the same thing and that's what people see. People see somebody being honest about it and somebody kind of like, not mentioning it but still doing it. What's the difference? Does anybody want to explain to me, because I think voters like what they saw from Donald Trump and I'm very worried about that.

[...]

JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): This tax thing, I'm sorry, this tax thing, please, find me one person that pays more taxes than they have to pay. You can't do it. So everybody that's acting so shocked that he did what he was legally entitled to do is a freaking hypocrite.

BRZEZINSKI: And the media --

SCARBOROUGH: That's why Warren Buffett goes, “Oh, rich people need to pay.” Well, pay more money, Warren Buffett. 

[...]

BRZEZINSKI: I think the reaction to this New York Times story on Donald Trump's part was brilliant, and the thing is he didn't even think twice about it, he just went there, while she has been hiding this speech money, hiding this foundation stuff, hiding this email stuff, and trying to get around it, mistakes were made. And I'm telling you people don't, they are not feeling a complete connection with her and this didn't help to get all high and mighty. Get off your high horse about this tax thing. Unless laws were broken, it's not an issue. You guys cancel each other out.

Related:

Wash. PostTrump Says He ‘Brilliantly’ Exploited Tax Laws In Wake Of Massive Loss In The 1990s

Previously

Morning Joe Mocks People For Pointing Out That Trump Is “Graded On A Curve”

Morning Joe Inaccurately Hypes Latino Support For Trump In Nevada With A Misleading Poll Report

8 Things Trump And Morning Joe Hosts Discussed When Cameras Were Off