EXCLUSIVE: Larry Hogan slams Angela Alsobrooks over tax breaks scandal

SALISBURY, Md. – Maryland Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Angela Alsobrooks is under fire following a CNN report claiming she took advantage of tax breaks she didn’t qualify for, which has now led her Republican opponent, former Governor Larry Hogan, to weigh in, expressing concerns over the allegations.

According to the report published by CNN on Sunday, the tax breaks resulted in Alsobrooks allegedly saving thousands of dollars in taxes on two properties she owned in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland.

As part of their investigating, CNN examined records and tax bills for both of the properties and learned Alsobrooks had claimed a homestead tax exemption that only applies to a person’s primary residence, which would be a violation of both state and local tax relief requirements, according to CNN’s reporting.

As part of an exclusive interview with WMDT News to discuss his Senate campaign, Alsobrooks’ Republican opponent and former Governor Larry Hogan, for the first time, addressed the reports, telling News Anchor Rob Petree that he was concerned by the allegations.

“I don’t know all the details of it, but it’s concerning obviously,” Hogan explained. “I need to look into it. For someone who’s talking about raising taxes on hard-working people at the federal, state, and local level, to have not paid her own taxes is something that she’s going to have to answer for.”

Hogan then went a step further, slamming Alsobrooks for what he described as a double-standard when it comes to her own policies.

“And, ya know, somebody that’s gaming the system for their own gain while they’re talking about sticking it to everyone else seems to be kind of disingenuous,” Hogan said.

When it comes to taxes, Hogan went on to tout his own record as Maryland’s 62nd Governor.

“I’ve always been an advocate for supporting cutting taxes,” Hogan emphasized. “I cut taxes eight years in a row, by $4.7 billion dollars on hardworking Maryland families, on retirees, on small businesses, on the poorest of Marylanders, with the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

WMDT News reached out to Alsobrooks’ campaign who issued two responses, one for the allegations in D.C. and the other for Maryland.

“Many Marylanders know how difficult and complex it is when a family member needs to leave their home,” Connor Lounsbury, senior adviser with the Alsobrooks campaign stated in an email. “When this situation happened to Angela’s grandmother, Angela stepped up and took it over for her family and paid the mortgage until the property was sold in 2018. She was unaware of any tax credits attached to that property and has reached out to the District of Columbia to resolve the issue and make any necessary payment.”

The campaign then issued another statement, focused on the allegations regarding the property in Maryland.

“When Angela bought her new property, the homestead tax credit from her previous home was not transferred,” Lounsbury’s statement read. “This resulted in no financial gain for Angela. In fact, she ended up paying more in taxes than she would have had the credit transferred over. Nevertheless, Angela is working to repay any credits received on the old property.”

WMDT News requested an interview with Alsobrooks which was denied and instead the campaign issued the two above statements.

Hogan and Alsobrooks will face off in the General Election on November 5 for the seat soon to be vacated by retiring U.S. Senator Ben Cardin.