Obama asks What''s Clinton Hiding? /by Alexander MooneyBarack Obama''s campaign took fresh aim at Hillary Clinton Wednesday
for refusing to release her tax returns, asking in a memo circulated to reporters, "What does Clinton have to hide?" The American people deserve to vet Senator Clinton based among other things on her on her transparency on her income. 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." David Axelrod, the Obama campaign''s chief strategist, also said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday that Clinton has a history of non-disclosure and is the least-vetted candidate in the presidential race.
However Howard Wolfson, Clinton’s communications director issued a statement Wednesday indicating she would do so around April 15. Over 20 years of the Clintons'' tax returns are in the public domain," he said.
Obama, who released his 2006 tax returns last April, stepped up his pressure on Clinton to release her documents early last month after it was revealed the New York senator loaned her campaign $5 million.
"I''ve disclosed my income tax returns. I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics.
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 Obama memo stated. "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.
A senate disclosure filed by Senator Clinton last May shows that the Clinton’s income was in excess of $12 millions. But according to the Wall Street Journal a tax return would present a more comprehensive account.