'I'm the one who did all the work': Donald Trump's former accountant steals his thunder amid tax controversy
It turns out Donald Trump may not be the one behind the tax maneuvers that allegedly allowed him to avoid paying federal taxes for nearly two decades.
Jack Mitnick, the accountant who prepared Trump's taxes in the 1990s, revealed in an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday that he was the brains behind the GOP nominee's $916 million deduction that could have prevented him from paying federal income taxes for 18 years.
"I did all the tax preparation," Mitnick said. "I'm the one who did all the work."
A New York Times report on Saturday revealed Trump's alleged tax maneuvers as speculation grows around the real-estate mogul's as-yet-unseen tax returns. While the GOP nominee has not denied the allegations, he has acknowledged he "brilliantly used" the tax laws to his advantage.
"As a businessman and real estate developer, I have used the tax laws to my benefit and to the benefit of my company and my investors and my employees," Trump said at a rally in Colorado Monday.
Trump has repeatedly refused to release his tax returns, breaking tradition from every presidential candidate have run for office since 1970.
The GOP presidential candidate has blamed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for not introducing tougher tax laws that would have prevented the kinds of maneuvers he reportedly benefited from.
"After years of failure, she complains about how I've used tax laws of this country to my benefit," Trump said. "Then I ask a simple question: Why didn't she ever try to change those laws so I couldn't use them?