What Went Down At The Vice Presidential Debate

The topic of Trump’s taxes seems like a Pokemon — sometimes with a nudge from Kaine, it can pop up anywhere in this debate. Most recently, Kaine brought it into a discussion of Russia, reiterating that Trump has business ties in Russia. Earlier, he said Trump’s releasing his taxes would offer more information on his business dealings. Essentially the taxes have become their own battlefield over character in this debate, with Pence arguing Trump is a smart businessman and Kaine arguing Trump’s a grifter. Pence parried with by criticizing the issue of foreign donors to the Clinton foundation. That’s when Kaine brought up that the New York attorney general also filed a cease-and-desist order against the Trump Foundation for not having the proper permissions and documentation to raise money. I spoke with Fordham University law professor Linda Sugin, who wrote a New York Times op-ed detailing issues with the foundation. She said, “There seems to be a pattern for a deep disregard of basic rules for nonprofit organizations. None of these were hard to follow,” adding, “The most important thing here is that the way Trump has treated his charity is troubling because it shows such disregard for law. We need the president to have a healthy respect for the law.”