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Donald Trump

Now That Six Years of His Tax Returns Are Public, Here Are Four Words That Describe Donald Trump the Businessman

From the Los Angeles Times today: During the years in which Trump battled disclosure, much of the information he sought to keep secret about his pre-presidential finances became public anyway, largely from a 2020 New York Times investigation. The picture that emerged showed that for all Trump’s claims to be a great businessman, his core businesses […]

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Trump’s Former Accounting Firm Will Finally Hand Over His Financial Records to House Oversight Committee

Announced today, former President Donald Trump and his former accounting firm, Mazars, have officially given up a three-year court battle and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will finally get to see the financial records they’ve been trying to get since 2019. Mazars will hand over certain financial records and communications from former President Trump […]

Does Any Blame Lie With Mazars USA In Trump Organization Financial Statement Mess?

The big news that sent shockwaves through the accounting profession on Monday afternoon was Mazars USA breaking up with longtime client Donald Trump and his company on Valentine’s Day, saying in a letter to the Trump Organization, which was included in a court filing, that “the Statements of Financial Condition for Donald J. Trump for […]

Lonely Old Man Chides Going Concern Writers For Having a Life on Valentine’s Day

Our curmudgeon-in-chief is feeling a little extra asshatty today: Went to @going_concern’s website today to see if they’d have anything clever to say about the big Mazars story, but if course there is nothing. Of course. — Big4Veteran (@Big4Veteran) February 14, 2022 Here ya go, big guy. We’re about to cut out for the day, […]

KPMG U.K. Restructuring Partner Channels Angry Donald Trump During Disciplinary Hearing

“The fact that I am [sitting] here being accused of dishonesty, and have never been dishonest in my business life … is frankly outrageous. This whole case here is just a witch hunt and if [the FRC] can’t win the case, which they shouldn’t based on the facts, then it is simply a process of […]

Donald Trump Is Apparently the New Head of Recruiting at EY

Sorry, Dan Black. Looks like you’re out of a job. “When I talked to him, we talked about, frankly, talent and how do we retain more talent in the U.S., in particular talent that goes to top schools and so forth. He was very much in favor of retaining that talent in the U.S. so […]

Notorious Liar Most Likely Telling Another Lie About His Finances

“Frankly, the people don’t care. My finances are very clean.” — President Trump, when asked if he would release his tax returns, which he claims are still under audit by the IRS. [Roll Call]

Why You Can Kinda Blame President Trump and His Tax Cuts for Your Favorite NFL Team Sucking

More than 30 years ago, President Trump tried to sabotage the NFL. Now you could say he’s indirectly sabotaging your favorite NFL team’s chances of making the playoffs. But before we explain why, first a little background on why Trump hates the NFL. In 1986, the NFL was sued by its biggest competitor, the United […]

Big 4 U.K. Leaders Ready to Wine and Dine With Trump This Evening

Unlike some business leaders who are worried that attending an invitation-only dinner with President Trump later on tonight during his visit to the United Kingdom will damage their reputation, Big 4 U.K. leaders seem more than willing to break bread with the commander in chief. Trump, who has already arrived in the United Kingdom after […]

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Accounting News Roundup: ‘I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A.’ | 12.29.17

Ed. note: This is the last ANR of 2017. See you back here on January 2. During the hiatus, submit questions and nightmare inventory counts to Open Items. Guess who? I know the details of taxes better than anybody. Better than the greatest C.P.A. [NYT] Who’s the Center of Attention at Holiday Parties? Your Tax […]

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Tell EY’s Mark Weinberger To Quit President Trump’s Business Advisory Council

I’m overstating the obvious here, but there’s something disturbing when the President of the United States can’t be bothered to unequivocally condemn white supremacists. The fact that I even have to write that sentence blows my mind. This morning, in response to President Trump’s remarks, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier announced that he was resigning from […]

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Are You Working for a Donald Trump?

Oh, Mike. You don’t know what’s coming. By now, you’ve probably heard the news that President Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to end an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. In a memo, Comey wrote that Trump said, “I hope you can let this go.” This is problematic because presidents are not […]

donald trump tax reform

Donald Trump’s Quest to Put H&R Block Out of Business Looking Like a Total Failure

During the presidential campaign, bellowing fast food connoisseur Donald J. Trump said that his tax policy was to “Put H&R Block out of business.” So, how’s that going? Well, last month he said, “We’re going to simplify very greatly the tax code. It’s too complicated. H&R Block probably won’t be too happy,” adding, “Other than […]

Trump Tapped EY CEO to Mansplain Chicks in the Workplace to Him

As you may have heard our esteemed and definitely not toxoplasmosis-infected president Donald J. Trump turned to two guys — Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and EY CEO Mark Weinberger — for a discussion on women’s workplace issues with his Strategic and Policy Forum last Friday. Perhaps all the women CEOs were busy that day getting […]

It’s Really Too Bad That Ernst & Young Isn’t Struggling to Account for Trump

It's Friday afternoon, half the internet is broken (including Disqus!) and it's a presidential election year; in short, it's a slow day. Incredibly, we were saved from this drought in hell by this post from Politico: "Ernst and Young struggle to account for Trump." Unfortunately, this is not a story about the Big 4 firm's […]

How Would Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Fit Into Public Accounting? A Brief Analysis

I don't imagine that too many people have given much thought to how Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would fit into the accounting profession, but Peter Reilly did and I'm grateful:  The only two roles I could see for Trump in public accounting are client from hell or managing partner. Public accounting firms at the […]

Reminder: Donald Trump’s 2015 Tax Return Is (Probably) Done and (Probably) Not Being Audited

October 15th was on Saturday which means today is the final filling deadline for 2015 1040s. And as the Wall Street Journal's Richard Rubin reminds us, that includes a certain presidential candidate: Reminder: Trump's 2015 tax return is (probably) due today. https://t.co/PwPSjCgr0i via @WSJPolitics — Richard Rubin (@RichardRubinDC) October 17, 2016 The article Rubin's linking […]

Exposure Drafts: Paying No Taxes Makes Donald Trump Rich, Not Smart

Exposure Drafts appears every other Wednesday. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].

Should Accountants Avoid Political Discussions at Work?

As you’ve probably heard, over the weekend, the New York Times obtained a few pages of Republican presidential nominee and stale cheese cracker Donald Trump’s tax return and shared them with the world. Lots of people have been pining for months for any morsel of Trump’s returns and now that we have that morsel, people […]

Accounting News Roundup: EY Emoticons and Ballparking Trump’s Tax Plan | 09.20.16

Emoticons In the past, one of the more fruitless exercises that large accounting firms have forced upon their employees is the assessment of the firm as an employer. The idea being that firms want to know how their employees feel about working there — do they feel great or not so great? Why do they […]

Guy Who Tried to Ransom Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns Regretting His Choices Right About Now

Are you frustrated by Donald Trump's evasive attitude about releasing his tax returns? Were you and some co-conspirators considering a harebrained scheme to claim that you had obtained copies of his returns and would demand a ransom to prevent their release? While this may sound like foolproof plan, may I suggest you reconsider? I only […]

Survey: Accountants Far Less Deserving of a Knuckle Sandwich Than Donald Trump

When confronted with the choice of whom taxpayers would most like to punch, a WalletHub survey found that only 1% choose an accountant (Donald Trump garnered 54%). That same survey found that nearly 20% of the respondents think accountants are overpriced and 5% believe they're a scam. So yeah, a few people might think you're […]

That Time One of Donald Trump’s Companies Got in Trouble for Reporting Ludicrously Deceptive Non-GAAP Results

Cretinous cheese puff and future American emperor Donald Trump likes to remind people of his long run as a very smart, very successful, very smart and very successful — probably the greatest ever, if he's being honest about it — businessman. There are too many stories to go around about all his WINNING, so to […]

A Short List of Things Donald Trump Has Said About Releasing His Tax Returns

As noted in the roundup this morning, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, never one to waste a self-righteous crusade, has demanded that burnt orange windbag Donald Trump to release "his returns going back at least a decade before Super Tuesday on March 1 so Republican voters can know what they’re voting for." The editorial […]

Donald Trump Tweeted Something About Tax Shelters

Six foot circus peanut Donald Trump has an issue with Amazon or the Washington Post or tax shelters or something: The @washingtonpost, which loses a fortune, is owned by @JeffBezos for purposes of keeping taxes down at his no profit company, @amazon. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015 The @washingtonpost loses money (a […]

Donald Trump’s Tax Policy: Destroy H&R Block

In case you hadn't heard, Sunkist-epidermic galoot Donald Trump has taken some lumps in recent days in his pretend run for president. However, in order to milk this thing for all it's worth, DJT has kept up appearances and in an effort to avoid talking about how Megan Kelly handed him his ass, discussed the […]

Donald Trump’s Accountants Should Quit

Yesterday, shaved orangutan Donald Trump announced that he's running for president. No, not of the local billionaires-only KKK chapter; of the United States. Yes, the country that most of you currently reside in. President of the United States. It's not a joke. Well, on second thought, it actually is.  During his gold-dusted self-orgy of narcissism, Trump […]

The IRS Apprentice Video Is Still Better Than Anything Donald Trump Has Ever Done

Yes, it's campy. Yes, it's poor production quality. Yes, it's the IRS. But you CANNOT deny that, compared to Donald Trump's track record, the video is not that bad. [via @WaysandMeansGOP]

Grover Norquist Thinks This Donald Trump Debate Is a Dynamite Idea

Perhaps you’ve heard that oafish hair transplant recipient Donald Trump is going to moderate a GOP debate. Shockingly, a number people aren’t taking this idea too seriously and for good reason! The man is rich. And busy. And important. Plus, he has young kids at home. You know how kids are. How could he possibly squeeze such an important event into his schedule? Seems impossible. Oh, and then there’s the part where he’s an egomaniac that pretended he was thinking about running for President while maintaining that the President was born on Mars or some damn place. That too.

But you know who thinks this whole Donald Debate is fabulous idea? Yep:

I am assured that Donald Trump will be a fair-minded moderator and joined by serious journalists. This contrasts with several debates that have already occurred which have been moderated by hostile members of the left wing media. I strongly urge all GOP candidates to attend this debate.

At this time we’ll presume that being MIA from the debate will not equate a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge but Mittens is skipping this circus, GGN’s choice may be easy.

[via ATR]

Donald Trump Once Proposed a One-Time 14.25% Net Worth Tax

Back in 1999, when the The Donald was also faux-considering a Presidential run, he proposed a one-time 14.25% net worth tax on anyone with a net worth of $10 million that would solve all our national debt problems in a blink of an eye.

According to an article published by CNN in November of ’99, DT crunched the numbers himself and “his proposed 14.25 percent levy on such net worth would raise 5.7 trillion and wipe out the debt in one full swoop.” Of course this was all before the SCOTUS determined the outcome of an election, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, George W. Bush somehow winning re-election, Barack Obama being elected President, The Tea Party, Libya and several seasons of The Apprentice. And seeing how Mr. Trump’s politics change like his hair caught in a a gusty wind, it’d be surprising if he still felt strongly about this particular policy. [CNN via TaxProf]

Accounting News Roundup: Lehman Investigation Narrows, SEC to Bring Charges Someday; Dubai World’s Debt Deal; Trump Makes Offer to Park51 Investor | 09.10.10

SEC Homes In on Lehman, ‘Funds of Funds’ [WSJ]
“The Securities and Exchange Commission’s investigation into the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is zeroing in on an accounting maneuver used to give the appearance that the companyt levels, according to people familiar with the situation.

Agency officials also are probing whether former Lehman executives failed to adequately mark down the value of the huge real-estate portfolio acquired in the securities firm’s takeover of apartment developer Archstone-Smith Trust or to disclose the resulting losses to investors, these people said.

The narrowing probe could move the SEC closer to bringing civil charges related to Lehman’s collapse in September 2008, though a decision doesn’t appear imminent.”

Study Says Directors Favor Themselves, Not Shareholders [FINS]
“A new study found that directors who field whistleblowing claims are likely to discount charges that could threaten their board seats and will assign fewer resources into investigating such claims.

In weighing hypothetical charges, 83 veteran directors at large U.S. corporations said they would allocate 42% fewer resources on average to fraud tips that might ultimately cost them their board seats.”

Dubai World reaches $24.9 billion debt deal [Reuters]
“State-owned conglomerate Dubai World DBWLD.UL on Friday reached a formal deal to restructure around $24.9 billion of liabilities, partly easing recently heightened concerns over the Gulf emirate’s debt woes.

While Dubai World’s agreement with most of its creditors is seen as a positive step for Dubai, the announcement comes just days after a unit of Dubai Holding, the conglomerate owned by Dubai’s ruler, said it will delay repayment on a $555 million loan, the second time it has failed to meet a repayment deadline.”

Huguette Clark’s multi-million-dollar fortune remains in hands of her financial managers [NYDN]
“Millionaire recluse Huguette Clark’s $500 million fortune will remain in the hands of financial managers who are under investigation, a Manhattan judge decided Thursday.

Judge Laura Visitacion-Lewis tossed a request by Clark’s relatives to appoint an independent guardian to oversee her finances and property, including Fifth Avenue’s biggest co-op apartment.

The judge called the family’s concerns about Clark’s health and state of mind “speculative” and “insufficient” to merit wresting control from her lawyer, Wallace Bock, and accountant, Irving Kamsler.”

Control Freak Q&A With Caleb Newquist [Control Freak]
Approva’s Control Freak blog asked me what I liked about being “control freaky.” Check out this post for the answer and more bits of wisdom from Adrienne’s favorite blogger.


Trump Offers to Buy Out Islamic Center Investor [WSJ]
“Mr. El-Gamal, founder of SoHo Properties, is one of eight investors who paid $4.8 million for a building two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The statement came following reports that real estate mogul Donald Trump was offering to buy one investor’s stake in the property.

In a letter to Hisham Elzanaty, an Egyptian-born Long Island businessman and a major investor in the project, Mr. Trump offered to buy his stake for 25% more than Mr. Elzanaty paid for it.”

Former GE Unit Executive Says He Was Pushed Out for Questioning Accounting [Bloomberg]
“General Electric Capital Services was sued by a former executive who claims he was forced out for questioning the company’s treatment of an asset.

Edward Gormbley, who worked for GE Capital from 2000 until he quit in September 2009, filed his suit today in state court in Stamford, Connecticut. The complaint also names parent General Electric Co. and its chief executive officer, Jeffrey Immelt.

Gormbley said he was punished for challenging the valuation of silicon-maker Momentive Performance Materials, an investment asset. GE Capital overstated Momentive’s value in December 2008 to improve its own balance sheet, he said. Valuing the asset correctly would have reduced ‘GE Capital’s earnings 100 percent,’ in the fourth quarter that year, according to the complaint.”