Report: DNC Vice Chair Owes at Least $25K in Back Taxes

The vice chair of the Democrat National Committee (DNC) reportedly owes about $25,000 in back taxes to the state of New York.

Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake, 36, who has called for the release of President Trump’s tax returns in the past, uncovered his tax debts in a federal financial disclosure report he filed in May as a Congressional candidate, according to the New York Post.

The former Obama White House aide is looking to take 76-year-old José E. Serrano’s (D-NY) seat for the 15th district of New York in 2020.

Blake’s profile on the DNC website stated:

New York State Assembly Member Michael Blake was born in The Bronx, NY to Jamaican Immigrants. He is in his third term, representing the 79th District. In the NY State Assembly, Blake is the chairperson of the subcommittee on Mitchell-Lama and member of the following committees: Banks, Correction, Election Law, Governmental Operations, Housing, Veterans’ Affairs, Black, Puerto Rican & Asian Legislative Caucus and Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.

In 2018, Blake reportedly owed New York $13,000 in taxes, and later that year he was told he owed an additional $8,166.07.

“He said he is paying down the state and federal taxes in installment plans,” the Post article noted.

However, records showed he also failed to report that he received somewhere between $20,000 and $50,000 while doing consulting work for debt collection firm Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson in 2013.

“Linebarger is one of the nation’s largest government debt collectors and reportedly one of the most ruthless – helping inspire federal legislation to combat deceptive tactics used by the industry,” the New York Daily News reported.

On July 3, Blake said Americans deserved to know what President Trump was allegedly hiding from them when it came to his tax returns.

I commend the House Ways and Means Committee for filing a lawsuit in federal court to obtain President Trump’s tax returns. We demand transparency and know that Congress must conduct oversight. We know that Pres. Trump lied about his business dealings in Russia (1/2)

— Michael Blake (@MrMikeBlake) July 3, 2019

In a subsequent tweet, he wrote, “When elected to Congress, I will fight to protect the institutions of gov’t, and ensure there is not one set of rules for the President and another set for us.”