Paul Ryan Brushes Off Trump’s 1995 Tax Return: It’s Not ‘That Harmful’

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 29: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., holds his weekly press conference in the Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
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House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Monday insisted that the New York Times report on Donald Trump’s 1995 tax return would not hurt the Republican nominee.

“I don’t think it’s that harmful,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “I think people who don’t like him are going to continue disliking him.”

Ryan said that net operating losses are “extremely common.” In the 1995 tax return published by the New York Times, Trump claimed $915 million in losses, which could have allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.

“I haven’t seen his tax returns, so I don’t know the details,” Ryan told the Detoir Free Press. “The numbers are big because he’s a multi-billionaire.”

When asked if the tax return undermined Trump’s claim that he is a great businessman, Ryan repeated that he hasn’t seen the Republican nominee’s tax returns and that net operating losses are common in the real estate busniess.

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