When running for the highest office in the land, it is customary that one releases one’s tax returns. Yes, at least, eight years of it. So far in this election cycle, Bernie Sanders has yet to do just that. In fact, to date, the Vermont Senator who has served his state in the Congress for the past twenty-five years has released only a summary of his 2014 tax returns.
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday dismissed criticism that he hasn’t released his full tax returns, even though Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has released eight years worth.
Pushed by Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” over why he only released a 2014 summary of his returns, the Vermont senator said he’d release as much as he can, but said the process may take some time.
“You know who does our tax returns? My wife does our tax returns. We have been a little bit busy lately,” Sanders said. Tapper told Sanders he was “kind of surprised” the Vermont senator hadn’t “gone further on transparency.”
Sanders said he would work to make as much of his personal tax information public as soon as possible, but said expectations should be tempered for what will be revealed.
“There ain’t going to be very much exciting in that. I get a salary from the United States Senate,” Sanders said.
“Our financial situation, to the best of my knowledge, has not changed very much, but we will get out all of that information as soon as we can,” he promised. (source)
Will you be disappointed to find out that Bernie Sanders has investments in the very banks on Wall Street that he rails against? Could it be that he’s hiding something by not releasing the last eight years of his tax returns?
Remember when we were suspicious of Mitt Romney when he refused to release his tax returns, Bernie? See how this low-key shade and innuendo works? We all can’t get $600,000 for speeches like Hillary Clinton, but we can get that blood money in other ways, yes? Hey, at it’s better than being named in the Panama Papers or on the D.C. Madam’s customer list, yes?