After toughest month in Senate, Corker looks ahead to full agenda in final year in Washington
"My net worth has gone up slightly, but it is relatively in the same range as when I came into the
Corker was denounced by his critics for switching his vote last month after initially voting against supporting the
After an article appeared in the International Business Times saying he and a dozen colleagues would benefit, social media exploded with the hashtag "#Corkerkickback."
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It was the latest blow in a tough year for the former
Corker, who'd been wrestling with whether to seek a third
The senator reiterated that he knew nothing in advance about what he calls the "very generous" allowances for pass-through income on real estate investments. The provisions were in the House bill but not in the original
Corker insisted his vote had nothing to do with any personal financial considerations.
"I have had no impact on any tax policy," he said -- an assertion that was backed up by Senate Finance Chairman
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After reviewing his recent tax returns and holdings, Corker and his accountant said last week the new law will reduce some of the property tax deductions he previously took on his two homes. That will largely offset the advantages of being able to pass through more income at a discounted tax value on his commercial real estate holdings, he said.
Corker said the changes are "negligible" for him, at least based upon his recent tax returns, and far less than the
The senator was sharply critical of International Business Times' article, noting the reporter who called laughed at him over his ignorance of the provision.
"It's the world we're living in," Corker said in a December interview amid the ensuing media firestorm. "I know absolutely beyond the shadow of a doubt that I've conducted myself beyond reproach. And this is the way it is here [in
Calculations by the liberal-leaning
That's because of a provision allowing income from real estate investment trusts to be taxed at a 20 percent rate, similar to the new corporate rate, as opposed to the 37 percent tax rate paid by high-income individuals.
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Calling estimates of the personal savings to him "malarkey," Corker noted he paid only about half that amount in total income taxes the previous year.
The
In the same period, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and many commercial real estate properties have more than doubled in value.
Most holdings liquidated before becoming senator
In
The group claimed Corker may have had a conflict of interest in his role as a member of the
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Corker has attributed the group's complaints to billionaire hedge fund investors furious over his effort to overhaul
The senator, meanwhile, said he has disclosed his investment activity and overall done relatively limited trading of stocks or other investments. Most of the trades cited in his disclosure reports, he said, were done while he was liquidating some investments before he became a
Corker did buy some CBL stock, including some for his daughters. But the value of that stock has declined in recent years.
To defuse what he says are misplaced criticisms about his financial dealings, Corker said he may release his personal tax returns.
Although he had a limited blind trust as
Corker said he wanted to maintain ownership of the
Toughest month in the
The 65-year-old former real estate developer said the attacks on him during the past month after his switch on the tax-cutting measure were the toughest he's experienced in his two terms in the
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The senator said neither the summary of the conference committee report nor the private briefing he received on the tax bill before his decision made mention of the pass-through tax changes that benefit real estate investors.
Corker said he had hoped to get a bipartisan tax reform plan and initially balked at supporting the GOP
"When we couldn't get a bipartisan agreement -- and after I talked with many business leaders who think the tax plan will help the economy -- I ultimately decided to support the tax cuts," he said. "As a nation today, I decided we were better off to have a tax system that doesn't encourage international companies to be headquartered outside
The change in Corker's vote on the tax plan also drew fire from some who question the tax cuts' impact on future deficits.
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Among them was
But in an interview last week, Ornstein dialed back on his critique of Corker, whom he has known for years.
"I continue to have an enormous amount of admiration for him," Ornstein said. "This shouldn't define him. He's had 11 years as a model senator."
Ornstein said Corker has demonstrated courage since entering the
He described the Chattanoogan as "conservative but not radical."
"I don't believe and can't believe that Corker did this to make money," Ornstein said. "I don't believe that in the end there was a Corker 'kickback.'"
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"I know a lot of voters are cynical and it's a tough sell for him, but I do take him at his word that he didn't know the provision," he said.
Syler, who spoke in late December, noted, "I'm sure that
"Full agenda" for final year in
Corker said he still enjoys his job and has a "full agenda" for his final year in the
"I always said I would not serve more than two terms," he said. "But it was a very tough decision. I'm in a very prestigious place, and I'm able to make a call and often make a difference. But I felt this was the right thing to do."
Corker said he "has no idea what I am going to do next."
"It's been the greatest privilege in my life to serve in the
Corker's popularity in
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The feud began in August when Corker criticized Trump's remarks about who was at fault during
Corker, whom Trump had considered as a running mate and later as secretary of state, said the president had "not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful."
Trump later mocked the senator as
There have been other exchanges between the two blunt-spoken politicians, with Corker calling Trump an "utterly untruthful president," describing the
Nearly half of the MTSU survey respondents, many of them
"Those poll numbers are largely transactional and would flip on their head, I think, if people knew how I relate and work closely with this
In his final year, Corker said, he hopes to reform government-sponsored enterprises such as
Corker said he also is working to modify the Iranian nuclear agreement to ensure the Iranians do more before
On another front, he said he is working to raise funds and fully implement the anti-slavery and human trafficking legislation he sponsored and helped pass last year.
Corker said he is one of the top supporters and friends in the
"I hope he will be there for a long time," Corker said.
Asked if he might be interested in the job if Tillerson leave the post, Corker said he didn't know what he might do.
"I'm going to take a deep breath when this is all over, and I just don't know," Corker said.
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