Few in Congress have released tax returns, report shows
Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET
(CBS News) Mitt Romney has come under fire from every direction for refusing to release more than two years' worth of tax returns, but many of his critics in Congress are refusing to disclose their own returns, a new report shows.
Over the course of three months, McClatchy Newspapers asked all 535 members of Congress to release their most recent tax returns, and just 17 members complied with the request. Nineteen congressmen refused while most never responded.
Like Romney, many members of Congress are far wealthier than the average American. And like the president of the United States, those congressmen stand to benefit from the tax policies they shape. Currently, the law only requires members of Congress to report their wealth and liabilities in broad ranges.
(Boehner discusses Romney's tax returns in video to the left.)
Among those who refused to turn over their returns to McClatchy were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi -- both of whom have sharply criticized Romney for failing to be more transparent.
"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. "There has been no question about where Leader Pelosi and Democrats stand on tax policy: We must extend the middle-class tax cuts and end tax breaks for millionaires and use the revenues to pay down the deficit."
Romney has made the same argument himself. Monday on Fox News, Romney said of the 2010 return he's released and the 2011 return he's promised to release: "It's hundreds of pages of documents, and by the way, none of the tax returns are required by law to be put out. What is required by law - the financial disclosure - has already been made."
At least one member of Congress thinks Romney should legally be required to disclose more -- Democratic Rep. Sandy Levin of Michigan this week said he will introduce legislation that would require presidential candidates to make public 10 years of tax returns and disclose overseas accounts.
When asked by CBS News on Thursday why Romney should go beyond the legal requirement, Pelosi responded, "If you want to be president of the United States, shouldn't you have to live up to the standard that is there for your cabinet?"
Asked why the rules should be different for members of Congress, she said, "When I run for president of the United States, you can hold me to that standard."
Popular in Politics
- Michelle Obama decries "slander" that educated blacks are "trying to act white" Play Video
- Benghazi-disciplined diplomat a prolific poet
- Romney condemns "breach of trust" in Washington 272 Comments
- Adviser on White House scandals: "Partisan fishing expeditions" won't distract Obama 176 Comments
- Obama: Racism is no excuse for not excelling Play Video
- Republicans continue beating Benghazi drum 114 Comments
- Officials on Benghazi: "We made mistakes, but without malice"
- Both parties vow to "get to the bottom" of IRS scandal
In stunning examples of hypocrisy, though, Pelosi, Reid, and Wasserman-Schultz all refused to release their tax returns when asked by McClatchy Newspapers.
"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.
At a news conference, Wasserman Shultz said, "I file full financial disclosure required under the law" and refused to release her tax returns.
Reid also would not let McClatchy look at his tax returns.
In recent weeks, Pelosi has said Romney's failure to release his tax returns makes him unfit to even be a Cabinet member while Reid said it made Romney unfit to be even a dogcatcher.
Wasserman Schultz said Romney's refusal to release his returns was an example of Romney's "penchant for secrecy."
But, as McClatchy reports, "all three refused repeated requests from McClatchy to release their own returns, requests that started before the flap over Romney's records."
By Reid's, Pelosi's, and Wasserman Schultz's standards, they should not be serving in office.
1. Weekly jobless claims shot up to 386,000.
2. Foreclosures are hitting our most vulnerable citizens.
3. Factory activity contracted for a second month in a row.
4. Home sales dropped a whopping 5.4% -- the biggest drop in nine months.
5. Retail sales dropped for the third straight month.
6. Consumer confidence dipped to 84.7.
7. U.S. business inventories increased by .3%...
8. ...sales dropped .1%.
9. Food prices are skyrocketing.
10. More Americans are getting federal disability than jobs.
Just goes to show you how far above the common people Congressmen and Senators think they are.
They have been getting away with everything just short of murder for years.
As far as they are concerned, they don't have to follow the rules and the laws that the commoners do.
If one of them commits an offense, they don't want their cohorts in crime to be tried in a real court, they want full control over the penalty the offender should suffer.
If turning over tax returns is a requirement for election, they should all be made to turn theirs over for public viewing.
Don't hold your breath waiting for this to happen though, because not one of them wants you to find out who bought-and-paid them to contribute to the downfall of the US.!
Ya know, he can keep his tax returns.
Since he's soooo willing to sign Grover Norquist's pledge not to raisee taxes, then let him sign a pledge that AT NO TIME has he ever had an undisclosed foreign account.
The reason he doesn't want to release his tax returns is because from 2003 until 2009 (when amnesty was offered) Mitt's foreign bank accounts were illegal!
------------------
If you know so much Nancy why don't you name 4 of Obama's cabinet members that have foreign accounts.... I'll wait.... and I'll bet you will be very surprised and dumbfounded !!
Like being wealthy should dis-qualify them from being president.
It's the hungry clawing and scratching moochers and freeloaders like Obama with a couple of million(He had less before he became Prez) we have to worry about.
Look at Bill and Hillary Clinton. They came fron Arkansas with a few 100K and leave and are now filthy rich multi-millionaires.
Who in the hell does that happen just being policians?
I could care less about anyones tax returns who runs for president as long as he does a decent job as president, unlike the radical community organizer who was was a conniving and cunning criminal politician from crime town Chicago.
Obama's Green Companies outsource jobs as well and also when he became president many companies left the states knowing what a tax and spend and un,friendly business socialist he was going to be.
Where are the millions of "Shovel Resdy" jobs he promised the failed Stimulus Package never produced.
Thanks for proving my point fleabagger.