REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Presumptive Green Party nominee Dr. Cornel West dismissed—but did not dispute—The Daily Beast’s discovery of more than $500,000 in outstanding federal tax liens lodged against him in two states, even as he appeared to push back on an open $49,500 child support judgment found in New Jersey.
Speaking on The Breakfast Club radio show Monday morning, the Ivy League academic and best-selling author asserted that he was “broke as the 10 Commandments financially” even before sympathetic host Charlamagne Tha God mentioned the report from last week.
The Daily Beast drew upon county clerk records in New Jersey and California to reveal that the IRS had repeatedly flagged West over back taxes, including for $85,477.02 from 2017, $136,916.26 from 2016, $82,396.14 from 2015, $98,818.25 from 2014, $62,367.69 from 2013, and $77,803.42 from 2005—all of which remain unresolved, according to the public records.