Will the Obama Administration Put the Antitrust Hammer on Donald Trump and company. Trump has accused Amazon Jeff Bezos on Fox News to go after the e-commerce giant.

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CWEB.com - Will President Obama evoke the Antitrust doctrine on Donald Trump and Company. Will Mr.Trump and company get prosecuted by the Obama Administration. Donald Trump accused Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) of using the Washington Post as a "tax shelter." The presumptive Republican nominee also accused the company of a "huge antitrust problem," according to Donald Trump who added that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos "thinks I would go after him for antitrust." Paul Farhi, writing in the Washington Post, reported on the accusations saying, He presented no evidence for his assertion. The tax shelter charge is easy to refute: Amazon does not own the newspaper; it is separately owned by Amazon's CEO. Donald Trump suggests that, when he's president, he'll use the IRS to punish his political enemy. 


Our Take:Tax returns aren't a litmus test. But for some reason people try to humanize candidates by calling for their tax returns because we all pay taxes too and we want to know what the candidates are paying so we can demonize them or hold them on a pedestal. Trump is in an interesting position. If his tax returns indicate that he has much less wealth than he claims or not given in off to charities he can be accused that he's exaggerated his wealth and business acumen (his key claim to qualification for election) or that he is cheating or weaseling out on taxes. Donald Trump has a long history of questionable finances and faces other allegations. His companies have declared bankruptcy four times. He’s been fined by the Federal Trade Commission for improper behavior. He incorrectly received a tax break for people making less than $500,000 per year. All of this means that people might have legitimate questions about what Trump is doing with his supposed vast sums: what he does with it, whether those things are legal, and further whether the techniques he likely uses to reduce his tax obligations (like many wealthy people) are appropriate, even when they are legal. Given Trump’s repeated attacks on companies that move their profits offshore or hedge-fund managers who use the carried interest loopholes, voters have a right to know whether he practices what he preaches." To insinuate that he will go after Jeff Bezos or Apple if he becomes President shows just another way he will miss use the Presidency.