l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012 08:05 PM
By Patrick Hobin
Democrats shouting the loudest about Mitt Romney’s reluctance to release
his tax returns do not apply the same standards to themselves, according to
a McClatchy News Service report.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the two
Democratic leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, are among
hundreds of elected officials from both parties who refused to release
their tax records, McClatchy reported.
Pelosi said Romney was unfit to serve as President or even in the Cabinet
because of his refusal so far to release all of his returns and Reid said
Romney wasn’t even fit to be dogcatcher.
But just 17 out of the 535 members of Congress released their most recent
tax forms or provided some similar documentation of their tax liabilities in
response to requests from McClatchy over the last three months, the news
service reported, indicating a double standard.
Another 19 members flat out refused and the rest didn’t even bother to
respond to McClatchy’s request.
Pelosi aides flat out said no, saying she’s disclosed all that Congress
requires.
“The leader has filed a complete financial disclosure report as required by
law that includes financial holdings, transactions and other personal
information,” Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami told McClatchy.
The law, written by Congress, requires a broad financial-disclosure
statement that offers no direct information on tax liabilities and no
requirement for reporting spousal income other than the source – but not
the amount – of any income above $1,000. There’s little way of knowing
whether that spousal income is $1,001 or $1 million, McClatchy News noted.
“They just don’t provide the same level of detail as a tax return,”
Darrell West of the Brookings Institution told McClatchy News.
“Senior public officials, especially members of Congress and presidential
candidates, should be required to disclose their tax returns so that the
public can monitor potential conflicts of interest,” Craig Holman,
government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonpartisan watchdog group
, told McClatchy.
Members of Congress aren’t being fully transparent of they don’t divulge
their tax information, said Daniel Auble, head of the personal finance
project for the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks financial
disclosures by members of Congress and appointees confirmed by Congress.
“Having a clearer picture of lawmakers’ interests . . . is definitely
important in making available to the public what possible influence there
could be,” Auble told McClatchy. “In terms of transparency, it would be
helpful to have more information.”
Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts,
the senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and a co-
author of the Dodd-Frank law tightening regulations on Wall Street, were
among the more prominent Democrats who refused to disclose their tax returns
to McClatchy.
And Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, the chairwoman of the
Democratic National Committee who has blasted Romney’s refusal to release
more tax returns, also refused to disclose her returns, saying she wouldn’t
because she wasn’t running for president.
Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York responded to McClatchy’s request by turning
the table on the news organization: “First your publishers and editors and
execs should publish their tax returns. They have great influence over
public policy.” | l**w
发帖数: 865 | 2 You forgot to mention that House speaker John Boehner and Senator minority
leader Mitch McConnell are also among hundreds of elected officials from
both parties who refused to release their tax records
From your post:
"But just 17 out of the 535 members of Congress released their most recent
tax forms or provided some similar documentation of their tax liabilities in
response to requests from McClatchy over the last three months, the news
service reported, indicating a double standard." | P*********0
发帖数: 4321 | 3 What is Pelosi and Reid running for?
President?
to
among
★ 发自iPhone App: ChineseWeb 7.3
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012 08:05 PM
: By Patrick Hobin
: Democrats shouting the loudest about Mitt Romney’s reluctance to release
: his tax returns do not apply the same standards to themselves, according to
: a McClatchy News Service report.
: Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the two
: Democratic leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, are among
: hundreds of elected officials from both parties who refused to release
: their tax records, McClatchy reported.
: Pelosi said Romney was unfit to serve as President or even in the Cabinet
|
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