Cornel West confessed to owing roughly half a million dollars in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service in a YouTube appearance this week, finally confirming a report earlier this month by The Daily Beast. “When it comes to the taxes, that’s definitely true,” the Green Party presidential contender told host Tim Black. “I’ve had waves of audits, waves of levies, waves of liens, and then the liabilities and the fees build up so you get in the black hole.” The Ivy League academic continued to push back on a $50,000 open child support judgment against him in New Jersey, but asserted he had “agreements” with the Internal Revenue Service to repay his debts. He added that he was “exactly like” financially struggling Americans, despite his higher income—which his financial disclosures placed in the range of $217,000 to $2,015,000 last year. He also suggested a racial dimension to reporting on his finances. “Especially on the chocolate side of town, they’re gonna find anything,” complained West, who resides in Princeton, New Jersey, which is nearly 83 percent white and Asian-American.