March 05, 2008
Fighting Fire With ...
TO: Interested Parties
FR: The Obama Campaign
RE: TAX RETURNS: What does Clinton have to hide?
DA: March 5, 2008
The Clinton campaign today maintained that “the vetting of Barack Obama has just begun.” The truth is, more than a year into this campaign, some very simple vetting of Hillary Clinton has yet to start.
In the face of her unwillingness to release her tax returns, Hillary Clinton has made the false case in this campaign that she is more electable because she has been fully vetted. When it comes to her personal finances, Senator Clinton’s refusal to release her taxes returns denies the media and the American people the opportunity to even begin that process. Though her campaign has tried to kick the issue down the road, Democratic voters deserve to know, right now, why it is she is hiding the information in her tax returns from last year.
The Clinton campaign has said that they have released copious amounts of financial information but there are many questions about their private dealings that could be answered in their tax returns but not in the information that is currently available. For example, here are eight pieces of information that could be learned from her tax returns, the accompanying schedules, and attachments:
Effective tax rate – including whether or not any tax shelters were used to reduce it
Amount of income for spouses by source
Amount of stock gains and losses
Gross income for the couple
Amount earned from stock dividends
Amount of household employment taxes paid
Personal exemptions taken
Charitable contributions made
Senator Clinton has also claimed that she is too “busy” to release her tax returns. Given the fact she is able to loan her campaign $5 million, you would think the Clintons would be able to hire an accountant. The reality is that she wants to keep this information hidden from voters. The people of Wyoming, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and the rest of the country should wonder why.
The Clintons’ record on releasing tax returns:
FEBRUARY 2008: Clinton Reiterated That She Would Not Release Her Tax Records Until She Is The Nominee And Not Before Mid-April. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says she won't release her tax returns until she has the Democratic presidential nomination in hand, and not before tax filing time comes in mid-April. "I will release my tax returns," Clinton said during the debate. "I have consistently said I will do that once I become the nominee, or even earlier." Pressed about the timing of releasing her tax returns, campaign aides were more reticent Wednesday, indicating that Clinton would not release the sensitive financial data during a hotly contested primary, but only at tax filing time. [AP, 2/27/08]
JUNE 2007: Clinton Does Not Plan to Release Her Tax Returns Until Next Year. According to the Washington Post, Clinton said through a spokesman that, “like past presidential candidates,” she will “release tax information in the election year.” [Washington Post, 6/19/07]
APRIL 12, 1996: Clinton Released His Tax Returns. President Clinton and his wife earned $316,074 in 1995, including the president's $200,000 salary, according to tax returns released Friday by the White House. The public release of the tax returns, three days before the April 15 filing deadline, shows that Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton are owed a refund of $5,656 on the $81,093 they paid in taxes, and will apply that refund to their 1996 income taxes. [UPI, 4/12/96]
April 15, 1992: Bill Clinton Made His Tax Returns Public. APRIL 15, 1992: Bill Clinton made his tax returns made public. [Los Angeles Times, 4/16/93]
Bill Clinton Released His Tax Returns In 1992 But Refused To Release Their Tax Returns From Before 1980. During the 1992 campaign, the Clintons claimed to be coming clean by releasing their tax returns from 1980 forward. But they steadfastly refused to release their returns for prior years, and only later did we learn that 1978 and 1979 were the tax years when Mrs. Clinton reported her 10,000% cattle-futures trading profit. [WSJ, 2/22/08]
Posted at 12:31 PM
Comments
It's just about time. Enough of her poisonous venom: let's scratch through the surface and show the nation what kind of hypocritical, opportunistic liar Hillary Clinton is.
Obama as our President.
Leah | 03.05.08 01:17 PM
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Hmmm... "enough of her poisonous venom... "hypocritical, opportunistic liar..."
Ya know, the rhetoric of the candidate and the rhetoric of the candidates' supporters isn't so much about hope and bringing our nation together, is it, Leah?
Look at yourself, Leah.
YOU are trying to convince ME that Barack Obama represents a new kind of politics????
Sorry, but the words "hypocritical, opportunistic liar" come to mind.
What does Barack think? That Clinton cheated on her tax returns????
LOL!
No personal attacks from Mr. Obama with his "new" kind of politics, huh, Leah?
What a wonderful, successful "leader."
O-bam-a! O-bam-a!
Jan | 03.05.08 01:56 PM
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While sounding harsh, Leah's words for the candidate may have some relevance. Interesting to note Jan did not try to disprove them by focusing on the candidate's sincerity, unselfishness, and truthfulness. Instead, she used sarcasm to try to belittle Leah and the Obama campaign, which cannot be held responsible for individual supporters who choose to sound off. Did the candidate cheat on her taxes? Why is this not a relevant question Jan?
foster | 03.05.08 02:58 PM
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Jan,
What personal attacks are there? He's asking Hillary to release her tax returns so the vetting process can begin. He's already released his.
The fact is: she and her husband have a history of trying to hide shady information by hiding their tax returns during campaigns (such as her cattle futures profits).
She's running on her experience, yet she won't release the White House transcripts and First Lady papers. She's running on being vetted yet she hasn't released her tax returns. She loaned her campaign $5 million(!) and her husband and her have made tens of millions of dollars from shady business deals with Kazakhstan and gifts from corrupt supermarket magnate Ron Burkle. The Presidential Library Fund is a huge slush fund for improper influence and needs to be investigated.
You're jumping at the gun and it is telling how biased you are. You do your candidate no service.
Stacy | 03.05.08 03:00 PM
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I love it. After all the handwringing about Clinton going negative, what does Obama's campaign do this morning?
Go negative.
I hate to rain on the Obama barbecue but has anyone ever learned anything remotely relevant about a candidate from his or her tax return?
No. Nor do voters decide about which candidate to support based on their tax returns.
Since it's not part of this post, here is Howard Wolfson's response:
Faced with many legitimate questions about Senator Obama’s long-time relationship with indicted political fixer Tony Rezko, the Obama campaign has chosen to lash out at Senator Clinton.Here are the facts:
Over 20 years of the Clintons’ tax returns are in the public domain.
Their tax returns since they left the White House will be made available on or around April 15.
This information will be in addition to 15 years of uninterrupted public financial disclosure reports.
Instead of making false attacks, we urge Senator Obama to release all relevant financial and other information related to indicted political fixer Tony Rezko.
So how does one afford a $1.65 million Chicago mansion, senator?
corinne | 03.05.08 03:14 PM
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re: "Did the candidate cheat on her taxes? Why is this not a relevant question Jan?"
Because it's an utter load of diversion crap.
I don't think for a second that she cheated on her taxes. It's that simple. If you do, demand that she give them to you, every single day from now until April 15th. Meanwhile, we'll be talking about the economy, green collar jobs, universal healthcare, and nat'l security in Pennsylvania.
People like Leah -- I don't care to have her in the Democratic Party. She has a nasty way of expressing her point of view about another Democratic candidate, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and her husband, former Democratic President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
Re: "The fact is: she and her husband have a history of trying to hide shady information by hiding their tax returns during campaigns (such as her cattle futures profits)."
Really?
That sounds exactly like a personal attack from a Republican to me.
re: "her husband and her have made tens of millions of dollars from shady business deals with Kazakhstan and gifts from corrupt supermarket magnate Ron Burkle. The Presidential Library Fund is a huge slush fund for improper influence and needs to be investigated."
Really?
That sounds exactly like a personal attack from a Republican to me.
Actually, Stacy, I would say that YOU are not doing YOUR candidate any good. You talk nasty like Leah does. How does that show leadership from your "above it all" candidate?
Oh, yeah, he likes the ideas of Republicans. It all makes sense now. Nasty personal attacks, just like Republicans!
Oh, sorry, that's OBAMACANS, isn't it?
LOL!
What's his foreign policy experience?
She's not allowed to be too busy right now to concern herself with releasing her taxes, but it's okay for him to be too busy to hold committee meetings on the Afghanistan War...
because he's been busy running for President since he was granted the assignment as Chairperson!
Thanks, Barack.
That's sure a lot less important to all of us than Clinton giving you her tax returns!
(Yes, extremely sarcastic.)
As we have all have noticed, Obama supporters have no problem expressing themselves in the exact same terms that nasty Rightwing Slime Machine Clinton Haters do.
I think of bloggers like Leah every single time Obama brags that he and his supporters are so much more saintly than the rest of us.
psst!
It makes the rest of us gag.
Come on now, let's hear it:
O-bam-a! O-bam-a! O-bam-a! O-bam-a!
Jan | 03.05.08 03:45 PM
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If she's loaning herself $5mil then we have not only a right but an obligation to ask where that $5mil came from.
Rob, Indianapolis | 03.05.08 04:31 PM
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Really? You really do have that right, Rob?
Who said?
I thought we had a system of Justice in America that handles accusations about American citizens and their taxes. I didn't know Obama and his supporters were in charge of making sure the Clintons were paying their taxes properly.
I notice that Obama did it just like Fox News -- he doesn't make any accusations; he just ASKS the world a sweet little Obamacan question:
"What does Clinton have to hide?"
You're sounding more and more like a Bush Republican -- privacy is soooo pre-9/11, huh?
Are you also asking why Obama didn't hold any oversight meetings on the war in Afghanistan? That just seems like a more valid question to me, if we're not going to allow the candidates the excuse that they've been busy running for POTUS.
To me, you just sound like a Nosey Nellie, Rob.
Let's see, how could Hillary Clinton possibly make $5 million, but for doing something completely unethical and illegal?
OH! That's right. She's written two best-selling books in the last few years! She got an $8 million advance on the last one. Imagine that!
Hey, you should read it.
It's titled LIVING History.
Obamaniacs, this is so petty.
At least go stamp your little feet over something serious, like her vote on Iraq.
Jan | 03.05.08 05:26 PM
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Sarcasm is the protest of people who are weak.
- John Knowles, A Separate Peace
Naj | 03.05.08 05:47 PM
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Irony:
Senator Barack Obama:
"We can no longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing each other down. We can no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour grows too late."
Obama supporter:
"Enough of her poisonous venom: let's scratch through the surface and show the nation what kind of hypocritical, opportunistic liar Hillary Clinton is.
Obama as our President."
Jan | 03.05.08 08:37 PM
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