Ted Cruz Hits Trump on Mob Ties: Do Tax Returns Show ‘Dealings with the Mob?’

‘Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported regardless of what the bombshell is’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

TODD: "You released summary pages of your tax returns and so did Marco Rubio. You said the only reason you did is because Marco Rubio released some pages. How are you forcing Donald Trump to release his tax return if you're only releasing the first two pages?"

CRUZ: "Well, listen, I've released nine years of tax returns. And by the way the first five years have everything. The last four have summary pages. I've got nine years of tax returns. Donald Trump has not released so much as a paper clip. Donald needs to release his taxes. Mitt Romney this week --"

TODD: "So will you be happy if he just does summary pages?"

CRUZ: "Look, it would be a very positive step in the right direction. I would be thrilled if he releases the whole thing, I'm happy to release everything I've released for five years. We just matched what the O poens did for the last four years. But the critical point, chuck, as Mitt Romney observed, the fact that Donald seems terrified to release his taxes suggests there's a bombshell there. And it's natural to wonder, well, what is it that he's hiding in his taxes? Maybe it's that Donald Trump doesn't earn nearly as much as he has so loudly told everyone. Maybe he's not as rich as he says he is. Who knows. Maybe it's the case that Mitt Romney is richer than Donald Trump. He can answer that by releasing his taxes. On the other hand maybe it's the case that he has given large sums of money to left wing groups like Planned Parenthood. You know, he praises planned Parenthood in the debates over and over again. Maybe he's been a big financial supporter of that. All of those questions Donald can put to rest, or you know, chuck, maybe it is the case that Donald there have been multimillion media reports about Donald's business dealings with the mob, with the mafia. Maybe his taxes show those business dealings are a lot more extensive than has been reported regardless of what the bombshell is."

TODD: "Senator Cruz, let me stop you there. That's openly speculative. Do you have any facts to support that Donald Trump has mob ties?"

CRUZ: "Oh, sure, ABC, CNN, multiple news have reports about his dealings owned by a mobster in jail. It is owned by two of the major New York crime families. That has been reported in multiple media outlets. You know, you're going to have Donald on the show later today. You ought to ask him, Donald, have you written a check to Planned Parenthood? If so, how much and when? That's a question Donald ought to answer. We don't know what it is that he's hiding in those tax returns, but I can promise you this, if he's the nominee come September, October, every day on the news will be about those tax returns about whatever the bombshell is. And Republican primary voters deserve to know before the nomination, not after."

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