Dropped by His Accountants, Trump’s Latest Wealth Claims Don’t Add Up

The chairman of the House Select Committee probing the tragic Jan. 6 brawl at the Capitol revealed on Thursday that the panel had subpoenaed four top government officials of Donald Trump's administration, together with Mark Meadows and Steve Bannon.
Image: EPA

Former President Donal Trump seems rattled after being ditched by his longtime accountants. 

After his accounting firm Mazars USA declared that a decade of his and his businesses’ financial statements were not reliable, Trump issued a statement of self-defense and added new claims about his wealth. 

The claims do not add up. 

In an email message that has been described as “rambling,” Trump referred to a “June 30, 2014 Statement of Financial Condition” prepared by Mazars, showing that the year before he ran for president he had a net worth of $5.8 billion. 

But when Trump declared his candidacy in 2015, he said a very different statement. Back then, he produced what he called his “Summary of Net Worth as of June 30, 2014” with a number of $8.7 billion. 

He even upped the number a month later, releasing a statement that in all-caps claimed his net worth was in excess of “TEN BILLION DOLLARS.”

Trump’s shape-shifting valuations show a core issue for Trump. Experts say that Trump has spent a lifetime bending reality to his will, or simply making things up as he goes along, creating this to support his need in that exact moment. 

To continue spewing rogue finances in the face of mounting legal issues with Mazars’ decision to sever all ties with him and his businesses could be a big issue for Trump. 

There are multiple investigations threatening to hold his questionable claims up to be examined. Two law enforcement inquiries in New York are examining whether Trump committed fraud and submitted overblown real estate valuations in order to secure loans for his businesses and properties.

In Georgia, a grand jury is investigating his attempts to pressure state officials to “find 11,780 votes” in an attempt to steal the presidential 2020 election, which he lost. 

More legal troubles could be on the way for Trump now that Mazars has dropped him.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*