It’s difficult to look at Romney coming out against Trump and not wonder if there are a few “sour grapes?”  Romney’s timing for questioning Trump’s character is very interesting, considering his former deputy campaign manager, Katie Packer was the key figure behind the anti-Trump super-PAC, “Our Principles” created for the sole purpose of taking down Trump that just announced yesterday that they’ve given up on their efforts. 

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney stated that Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, Texas Senator Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Florida Senator Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) ought to release their taxes for “the last two years that have already been filed” and that there’s “good reason to believe that there’s a bombshell in Donald Trump’s taxes” on Wednesday’s “Your World with Neil Cavuto” on the Fox News Channel.

He added, “I think there’s no question but that Donald Trump has the clearest path to become the Republican nominee. I think for the other people still in the race, their path is becoming a slimmer and slimmer opening, and they’re having a difficult time communicating to their supporters just how they could become the nominee. It’s not impossible. I think it’s very difficult for any one of the non-Donald Trump contenders to be able to be a real threat, unless perhaps the field narrows.

Romney then said, when asked about his lack of an endorsement for anyone so far, “Well, frankly, I’d like to see a number of things from the candidates, not just their positions on issues in some detail, and some candidates are more thorough in laying out what they’re going to do than others, but I’d also like to see their back taxes. I’d like to see where they filed their taxes in the last several years. I’m not talking about their taxes this year. I’m talking about the taxes that have already been filed with the IRS. And Donald Trump and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have [not] shown us their back taxes.”

Romney further stated that “the last two years that have already been filed” would “give us a real sense of whether these people are on the up and up, and whether they’ve been telling us things about themselves that are true or not.” He then said, “I think we have good reason to believe that there’s a bombshell in Donald Trump’s taxes.”

He explained, “I think there’s something there, either he’s not as anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is, or he hasn’t been paying the kind of taxes we would expect him to pay, or perhaps he hasn’t been giving money to the vets, or to the disabled, like he’s been telling us he’s been doing. And I think that’s — the reason that I think there’s a bombshell in there, is because every time he’s asked about his taxes, he dodges and delays and says, well, we’re working on it. Hey, we’re not talking about the taxes that are coming due this year. Of course they’re working on those. They won’t be ready for months. We’re talking about taxes already filed, back taxes. And my back taxes, when I ran in 2012, my back taxes, I put out in January of 2012. We’re now in late February and we still haven’t seen either Donald Trump’s, or Marco Rubio’s, or Ted Cruz’s taxes. And frankly the voters have a right to see those tax returns before they decide who our nominee ought to be.”

Trump’s response to Romney’s accusation:

Romney said that the scrutiny over his taxes when he ran back in 2012 is “a good reason for getting these things out before the voters make their choices to who our nominee will be.” He continued, “I put my taxes out in January of 2012, and that gave people a chance to digest it, and decide whether I was going to be the nominee or not. And if in fact Donald Trump’s taxes, or Marco Rubio’s, or Ted Cruz’s, have some real problems in there, let’s get them out there and see them. But I think it’s pretty clear that, given Donald Trump’s dodging and weaving and delay, I think the last time he was asked about his taxes he said, well, it’s going to be a month. Look, people have a right to know if there’s a problem in those taxes before they decide.”

Romney concluded, “You know, Donald Trump has said he’s the best in the country for the disabled veterans, and for the disabled generally. Well, if his taxes show that he hasn’t made any contributions to the disabled veterans, or to the disabled generally, that would be a big issue. So — and I’m not saying that’s the case. I have no evidence of that. But I’m just saying there are things that could be issues, and when people decide they don’t want to give you their taxes, it’s usually because there’s something they don’t want you to see.” Via:Breitbart

Posted by Donald J. Trump on Thursday, 25 February 2016

 

On October 16, 2015, Mitt Romney lectured Donald Trump about how Republicans win races.

Does Romney’s concern over Trump and his taxes have anything to do with Trump’s go it alone attitude?

Or perhaps The Donald has a point?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/655761844011954176

Mitt Romney, the failed 2012 Republican presidential nominee who, alongside running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), lost the election to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, is lecturing 2016 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump on how a Republican can win the White House.

“I think Donald Trump has said a number of things which are hurtful, and he has said they were childish in some respects, and I think will be potentially problematic either in a primary or in a general election if he were to become the nominee,” Romney said in a rare interview granted to former Obama strategist David Axelrod, according to The Hill newspaper.

Romney added that he thinks Trump will “have some challenges if he proceeds to the next stage” and that he thinks “to a degree” Trump’s comments and style “do” hurt the GOP as a whole.

While Romney previously predicted that Trump won’t win the nomination, his change of tone in this Axelrod interview seems to indicate he’s now entertaining the possibility of a nominee Donald Trump.

Romney lost the election in 2012 after winning the nomination against a fairly weak GOP primary field. He also lost in 2008, failing to win the nomination against Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Like Romney would four years later, McCain lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama. Even though Romney has lost every presidential election in which he’s ever competed, some Republicans still gravitate to him and his inner circle for political advice.