Huffington Post: Sunlight Foundation’s John Wonderlich: “A Bizarre Attempt To Substitute A Prepared Communication For Public Disclosure, Which Is Insufficient For Both Urgent Investigation And Repairing The Public Trust.” “‘This is a bizarre attempt to substitute a prepared communication for public disclosure, which is insufficient for both urgent investigation and repairing the public trust,’ John Wonderlich, executive director of the pro-transparency Sunlight Foundation, told HuffPost.  ‘Trump also paid lawyers to vouch for his divestment and ethics plans, which were clearly insufficient,’ he said.”

U.S. News’ Robert Schlesinger: “There’s No More Reason Today To Believe That Trump And His Businesses Are Free Of Russian Ties Than There Was Yesterday.” “President Donald Trump’s lawyer Friday released a letter asserting that a decade’s worth of Trump tax returns show no Trump financial ties to Russia.  There’s one key bit of missing data, however: the actual tax returns. Or to put it another way, there’s no more reason today to believe that Trump and his businesses are free of Russian ties than there was yesterday.”

The Atlantic: Penn Professor Michael Knoll: “One Could Very Much Read This Language In Legalese And Not Feel At All Convinced That Russian Interests Do Not Have Leverage Over The President “‘One could very much read this language in legalese and not feel at all convinced that Russian interests do not have leverage over the president,’ said Michael Knoll, Theodore K. Warner Professor of Law and Professor of Real Estate at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.”

Bloomberg: Tax Lawyer: Michael Kosnitzky: “It’s Kind Of A Silly Letter … People Who Don’t Want To Disclose The Source Of Their Income Are Going To Find Ways To Hide It.”  “President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers said in a letter that his tax returns from the past 10 years show that—with a few exceptions—he received no income from Russian sources and owed no debts to Russian lenders.  An independent tax lawyer questioned the letter’s value.  ‘It’s kind of a silly letter,’ said Michael Kosnitzky, who works with wealthy individuals and privately held businesses at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. ‘People who don’t want to disclose the source of their income are going to find ways to hide it.’”

Wall Street Journal: Tax Policy Center’s Steve Rosenthal: “A Russian Would Not Lend Directly To Trump Or His Businesses … A Russian Would, For Example, Fund A Cyprus Corporation, Which Would Lend To Trump Or His Businesses, Possibly Through Other Intermediary Entities.”  “‘A Russian would not lend directly to Trump or his businesses,’ said Steve Rosenthal, a tax lawyer and senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center in Washington. ‘A Russian would, for example, fund a Cyprus corporation, which would lend to Trump or his businesses, possibly through other intermediary entities.’”