No tax returns filed for five years. Over $1 million in debt.

If you’re going to campaign on the issue of personal responsibility, it’s kind of important to not have a record like this:

[…] According to the United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of North Carolina, Mark and Yolanda Robinson, doing business as Precious Beginnings, filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy on January 8, 2003. Robinson had previously filed for bankruptcy on two other occasions in 1998 and 1999.

In seeking bankruptcy protection, the Robinson family described a series of grave economic circumstances. According to their 2003 filing, the family faced the repossession of two vehicles and the impending foreclosure of their Greensboro home. The records also show that, at the time, Robinson had just $70 to his name — $40 in cash and $30 in savings — as well as $4,720 in personal property. They also reported debts surpassing $1 million, including $290,525 in unsecured debts and $871,550 in secured debts.

Robinson, according to the documents, had also failed to file income taxes for five years. After filing for bankruptcy in 2003, the Internal Revenue Service filed a motion for the Bankruptcy Court to compel Robinson to file taxes for the years 1998-2002.

“The United States of America, by its counsel, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, respectfully moves the Bankruptcy Court for an order compelling debtor Mark Keith Robinson to furnish to the Internal Revenue Service individual income tax returns for the taxable years 1998, 1999, 2000, 20001, and 2002 or, in the alternative, for an order dismissing this case with prejudice,” the motion reads. “Due to Mr. Robinson’s failure to file federal individual income tax returns for those years, the Internal Revenue Service is unable to file an accurate proof of claim and to determine whether he is remaining current with respect to unpaid taxes.” 

Robinson ultimately filed his back taxes in May 2003.

In October 2003, the Robinsons lost their Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection due to the “failure of the debtors to comply with the requirements of the plan,” according to the records. […]

Okay.  Everybody understands that one of the top jobs — if not THE top job — of the governor is to manage the state budget and the bureaucracy powered by said budget, right?  Seriously, how comfortable are you handing this job over to someone who struggles with the aforementioned, county vehicle taxes, AND rent on his home?

Of course, Team Robinson’s low-grade campaign spokesman responded to the disclosure of this information with his usual chorus of “Fake News!” and “Old News.”  It’s pretty tough — and incredibly ballsy — to fake documents originating from and on file with the US District Court.

But on the ‘Old News’ thing.  The NCGOP did a horrible job of vetting their anointed gubernatorial nominee.  That’s one of the important aspects of a party primary.  The various primary campaigns failed. Party leaders failed.  The alleged watchdogs in the media failed.  (We tried to tell you.)  AND. HERE. WE. ARE.

It’s no surprise that NCGOPe operative Dallas Woodhouse has sounded off on this disclosure.  If there’s something outlandish to be said or done politically, you can count on your boy Dallas to be in the middle of it all somehow.  I can’t tell if Dallas is being facetious or not in this tweet commenting on the Robinsons’ non-filing of five years of tax returns:



Regarding Dallas’s “leading in the polls” statement —  an April 10 release from the nationally-renowned Quinnipiac University poll has Josh Stein leading Robinson 52-44 percent.   (The margin becomes 48 to 41 percent in favor of Stein in that poll when all of the third-party candidates are tossed in.) 

It’s going to be a long six-to-seven months, folks.