To the Editor:

Re “Trump Took Part in Suspect Schemes to Evade Tax Bills” (front page, Oct. 3):

Thanks to The Times for its excellent reporting on the real sources and scale of President Trump’s inherited wealth, plus its insightful editorial (“Donald Trump and the Self-Made Sham”).

Mr. Trump’s lawyer provided The Times with “a written statement denying any wrongdoing and asserting that, in fact, Mr. Trump had little to do with the dizzying transactions involving his family wealth .” So which is it? Did Mr. Trump participate in corrupt transactions, likely making him dishonest as well as a con man, or did he have nothing to do with his family’s complex financial transactions that were the foundation of his wealth, which suggests incompetence?

Either way he’s not the savvy self-made tycoon he’s constantly boasting he is.

James Berkman

Boston

To the Editor:

Assuming that everything in this article is completely accurate, it is still very unfair. As you point out, the line between avoidance and evasion is murky and different lawyers will draw it in different places. But anyone seeking to legally avoid taxes will hire experienced lawyers to navigate the incredibly complex tax code.

The Trump family, like many other wealthy families, had every right to do everything they could to avoid taxation in a legal manner. Apparently, they did not move money offshore to a tax haven, which is a common avoidance method.