Columbia’s Peter Kiernan is campaigning to get Trump to release his tax returns
He was on Rachel Maddow’s show this week
If you’ve never had the chance to meet Peter Kiernan GS ’17, then you’ve missed out on the opportunity to get to know a pretty incredible human being. Peter is a senior in Columbia’s School of General Studies who is currently studying Political Science.
He is also a former United State Marine Special Operator, Varsity Athlete, President and Founder of the Ivy League Veterans Council, and just an all-around solid guy.
So it’s no surprise (to me at least) that a campaign that Peter has spearheaded to get Donald Trump to release his tax returns in the spirit of transparency has gained national attention from people such as MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow. She interviewed him twice on her nightly primetime show, and LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman recently pledged to match any money raised by his campaign 5:1, up to $5 million. That’s potentially $6 million that would be donated to 10 different charities directly benefitting military veterans.
Donald Trump has previously said he hasn’t released his tax returns because he is currently under federal audit by the IRS. However, the IRS has stated publicly that being under audit would not bar him from releasing his tax returns to the public. So, since the IRS has stated he can release his returns, all The Donald has to do is cough them up and these charities get this money.
Peter was great enough to allow me to interview him about his campaign and his opinions of Trump as a presidential candidate.
Peter Kiernan
Explain your campaign.
Here’s the general idea: Every election cycle there are billions of dollars spent, mostly going to corporate profits. This campaign is a clever way to engage the political process and use it to raise money for and benefit the causes I care about, namely veterans. This campaign uses the publicity of Trump and his failure to release his tax returns to raise millions of dollars for organizations that otherwise wouldn’t have received anything.
The challenge to Donald Trump is simple: release your tax returns. Instead of personally benefiting from doing something he should have already done, these veterans groups will receive all of the proceeds.
How did you come up with the idea for the campaign?
Any service member who has ever held a security clearance has been subjected to a rigorous background check, to include personal finances, affiliations, and drug activity, all for good reason. The nation entrusts its defense to this small group of talented and determined patriots, in return for this responsibility the nation asks for honesty and integrity. But it’s about more than just virtues of integrity and honesty. From a very practical perspective, it is about conflicts of interest. The government seeks to determine if there are any conflicts of interest that would jeopardize one’s ability to safeguard our nation’s secrets. They answer important questions, do you or your immediate family have any international affiliations? Do you have any risky financial positions or debt? Have you had lapses in judgment due to alcohol or drug use? All of these are things that could be exploited by our adversaries and pose a conflict of interest.
As a billionaire with financial dealing around the world, the American public is entitled to know whether or not Trump has any positions that would pose a conflict of interest between his business and our national security. What’s more is the public deserves to know that Trump won’t be profiteering off the presidency through our country’s foreign policy. Tax returns reveal that information. It is one thing for a service member who holds top-secret information to undergo a background check; it is another thing for the person who commands the nation’s military to reveal his conflicts of interest.
I think this is a central issue of this campaign, and I thought that making a public challenge to Trump was the best way to elevate it during the election cycle.
How does it feel to have had such an impact? Did you think the campaign would ever get this big?
You know, it is really difficult to objectively gauge your impact, especially on something as large and amorphous at the presidential election cycle. While we’ve made some headlines it is really tough for me to say if I’m having the impact I’ve hoped for. Truthfully, I won’t be satisfied until Trump has released his tax returns and we’ve successfully been able to donate this money to veterans groups.
I had no idea the campaign would get as large as it has. I had never heard of Reid Hoffman until he found my campaign and pledged to multiply our donations by five. Today it looks like we might achieve our million-dollar goal before the end of the weekend. But that just means we’re exceeding the standards, and it is time to move the bar higher.
Has the Trump campaign been in touch?
We haven’t heard from anyone representing the Trump campaign yet. I’m really not seeking any personal attention from him or his campaign, mostly just for him to release his tax returns like he has mentioned he would. His campaign has received increasing scrutiny about him not releasing his tax returns.
What would a Trump presidency mean for America?
I’m a registered independent voter in New York State and I don’t have any party affiliation. But I have to say, Trump has made it very difficult to stay non-biased during this election cycle. From his careless statements, attacks on prominent veterans and gold star families, and his lack of policy understanding, he has done a good job of galvanizing opposition. A Trump presidency has me genuinely concerned for the future of America. But whatever the outcome of this election, I will continue to work to make my community and my nation a better place.
In your latest interview on the Rachel Maddow show, you seemed to take umbrage with Trump saying “not paying taxes” was smart. Can you elaborate on that a bit?
Yes. In the military, leaders always lead by example, they’re never the exception to the rule. How could I have led men on the battlefield in Afghanistan if I wasn’t willing to risk as much as the men I lead? The analogy is appropriate here; Trump seems to take pride in avoiding paying taxes for his personal benefit. If everyone in the country followed such an example, how could our nation have the money to accomplish anything?
Do you believe that may have been his “47% moment”?
It is possible. One can only hope…
*This refers to Mitt Romney’s comment during the 2012 Presidential Campaign, that 47% of Americans didn’t pay taxes which made them takers. This gaffe was widely believed to have all but handed Obama the election in 2012.
Trump says he’s the military candidate and the law and order candidate – why is he bad for vets?
I haven’t seen any qualities or policy positions from the Trump campaign that would lead me to believe he is a good candidate for veterans.
If you want to donate to his campaign, here is the link.