Why Won’t Hillary Clinton Release Her Tax Returns?

[Ichingcarpenter]

From NBC's Mark Murray
This Friday, the Clinton and Obama campaigns have traded numerous charges -- over national security, NAFTA, expectations for March 4, and the delegate math.

The Obama camp now has added yet another topic to the discussion: Clinton's tax returns.

"Senator Clinton’s refusal to make this very basic disclosure has raised a number of eyebrows among advocates for increased transparency," the Obama campaign says in a memo. "As her top Ohio supporter Governor Ted Strickland said in his 2006 campaign, if a candidate is not releasing his or her “tax return, what is he hiding? We should question what’s going on.”

Click below for the full memo...

To: Interested Parties
From: Obama Campaign
RE: Why Won’t Hillary Clinton Release Her Tax Returns?
DA: 2/29/08

During a recent MSNBC debate, Senator Clinton was asked if she would release her tax returns. She answered, “Well, I will do it as others have done it, upon becoming the nominee or even earlier.” But the very next day, her campaign backtracked, saying, “As is customary, as the Democratic nominee Sen. Clinton will release her tax information in April at tax time.”

But waiting until April is not customary. In the 2004 Democratic primary, Governor Dean, Rep. Kucinich, Senator Lieberman, and Senator Edwards released their tax returns in April of 2003 – a full year earlier in the primary process. Senator Kerry released his tax returns in December of 2003, and General Clark released his tax returns in January of 2004. .....snip


http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/29/717817.aspx

[AtomicKitten]

1. She's throwing a monkeywrench in "follow the money."

[TwilightGardener]

2. Obviously, there's something ugly there she doesn't want Democrats to see

until she sewed up the nom. She didn't think the race would even be going on, at this point.

[leftofcool]

3. What's wrong with April?

[jenmito]

5. What's wrong with now?

[Tarc]

6. What's wrong with telling people like you to go pound sand?

As long as it isn't legally required to give out one's tax returns, then this is a non-issue.

[jenmito]

You WISH it was a non-issue. Just more secrecy from the Clinton camp.

Go pound sand yourself. :eyes:

[Tarc]

32. Just more O-Bot losers looking for more manufactured controversy

[TwilightGardener]

28. I like transparency in my leaders. As Obama said when he released HIS

returns, the American people deserve to know where your income comes from.

[leftofcool]

8. Could be they are not yet prepared by their accountants?

Mine are not done yet so there is no reason for me to assume that all American tax payers are through filing.

[jenmito]

12. Wrong. She has been asked about this for about a month now. She COULD have them done if she

WANTED to.

[leftofcool]

13. really?

It takes us 3 months with all of our holdings to get our taxes done.

[jenmito]

27. Please. Nice excuse.

[tammywammy]

15. Then she could release her 2006 tax return

As Obama did.

[leftofcool]

19. Yes, she could

but they are calling for her 2007 returns not for 2006.

[Yael]

26. Who is?

I haven't even looked at mine yet.

Edwards has been challenging her on this since last fall.

They are asking for the 2006 returns....

[Yael]

25. Her 2006 returns aren't finished yet?

[Yael]

24. April of 2007? That would have been great for the 2006 returns.

But then again, this isn't 2004. This is about 2008 and keeping things hidden.

[jenmito]

K&R! I'm glad Obama's mentioning that now!

:hi:

[TexasObserver]

4. Because Hillary and Bill want to hide their money grubbing with unsavory characters.

[JimGinPA]

7. In All Fairness...

She'll be embarassed about what would be revealed either way. It'll be picked apart and parsed since she's let it become an issue now.

[MethuenProgressive]

9. Why won't Obama release his records from the "Rezko Years"? What is he hiding?

Payola? Bribes?

[anigbrowl]

14. His tax returns are available. Google them - I did.

Meanwhile, Hillary can put out her 2006 tax returns. I've been wondering why she kept saying 'after the nomination' since the question was first asked months ago.

[napi21]

10. I don't know, but if you think back to prior elections, all candidates

balk at doing so. If I had to guess, it's similar to what I heard yesterday "It's always better for a candidate NOT to give details about their plans, because as soon as you give details, all your opposition will pick it apart like vultures on a carcass. It's always better to just give the rhetoric for as LONG as you can get away with it." They even used Hillary giving some details of her health plan v/s Obama not doing so.

[Alexander]

11. What's wrong with the Saudi royal family donating to the Clinton library?

[tabasco]

16. During the debate she said she hadn't had time to get that info together

and that she would "get around to it."

:shrug:

:wtf:

[NoodleyAppendage]

17. Because she doesn't want people to know that she is a CORPORATE SHILL.

Candidates wholly beholden to corporate power don't fly so well with voters during a populist revolution.

J

[tammywammy]

18. Basically because she doesn't want to

So she won't.

[redstate_democrat]

20. She

is hiding something, obviously.

[Cheeseburger Walrus]

21. Perhaps they did quite well...

...and making such a large sum of money may alienate voters who believe she will be out of touch. Additionally, much of her taxes may be reinvested in personal charities that the Clintons own, options not available to much of the working class.


Experts are working day and night on this catastrophic mishap, even now!

[hogwyld]

22. The thinking goes

It's better to have everyone think of you as rich and corrupt than to release your tax records, and remove all doubt...

[Yael]

23. This is the kind of thing that reinforces her reputation of being sneaky and

having something to hide at all times.

For the candidate that probably has the least trust rating of any running, she certainly isn't doing herself any favors.

[IndianaGreen]

29. Perhaps the Bin Ladden Group has given money to Bill Clinton

They are the largest construction conglomerate in the Persian Gulf.

[Beausoir]

30. Who really cares? More empty suit politics.

[ORDem]

31. Well, you should care. Especially in her case if Bill were in the WH.

I'd want to know where his recent millions actually came from and where his intents may lie.

:dem:

[democrat2thecore]

33. I DO and A LOT of others! That's why candidates release their tax records. Hello? -nt

[sloppyjoe25s]

34. This is a MAJOR issue for the General Election

It is going to be BAAAD when this comes out.

Thank god she is losing - because if this info came out AFTER she won the nomination.

It is going to have bad stuff - and it could cripple her in the GE.

It was 100% ABSURD - to say she could not "get this together" before March 4th.

She has dozens of accountants - and ANYBODY can hand over a tax return. It is not hard to do - no matter
how complex your income.

They are probably busy trying to come up with ways to "Scrub the smell" out of Bill Clinton's
recent overseas dealings.

THIS WILL NOT BE PRETTY. I guess if she loses one upside for her is noone will ever see this.