Sanders won't release his complete tax returns because his wife does them.

[kstewart33]

He's released a summary sheet of his 2014 returns, but no details. Clinton has released the complete returns for the last 8 years.
What gives? Why can't he call his wife, say, "Honey, make a copy of the returns for me" and then release them to the media?

He and the Mittster indeed have something in common.

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.

"

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/bernie-sanders-wife-tax-returns-221511

[DanTex]

1. LOL. Does she hide them from him? Has she shredded them?

It's pretty simple, Bernie. Scan them, and post them on your website.

[speaktruthtopower]

2. What could possibly be exciting in Bernie Sander's tax returns..

[Democrats Ascendant]

9. Probably nothing, but that's the point.

[NobodyHere]

3. Did he not see this coming?

[MgtPA]

4. Jane isn't sitting at home waiting for a phone call, she's with him on the campaign trail.

I'm sure their taxes are less exciting than mine. I can wait.

[kstewart33]

37. Bern and Jane could have released a long time ago when they weren't so busy.

It is so ironic. What does Bern have to hide?

[MgtPA]

42. Here's their 2014 tax return.

Nothing very exciting.
http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/presreturns.nsf/Returns/9900B87E8AE6AF0C85257EB4004E9F66/$file/B_Sanders_2014.pdf

[DesertFlower]

56. $150 in contributions. am i missing something?

where's the $8,350 in undisclosed charities?

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/07/08/421151627/sanders-among-the-least-wealthy-presidential-candidates

[Metric System]

5. What is Senator Slanders hiding?

[Metric System]

6. Sanders. I meant Sanders.

[synergie]

11. LOL :-)

[Hiraeth]

44. sure you did. welcome to ignore.

[Metric System]

45. Y'all do love an echo chamber.

[Hiraeth]

47. Quickly count HRC banned list vs. BS banned list. Don't bother getting back to me.

You replied before I got you on ignore but, it is done now. Bye.

[Metric System]

48. LOL

[revbones]

7. Release the transcripts first... nt

[Metric System]

10. Not the same. The Clintons have released their taxes for years. Why won't Bernie?

[revbones]

14. Not the same, Bernie already released all his Wall St speech transcripts... nt

[Metric System]

15. Keep changing the topic. It's customary for politicians to release their taxes. Why won't Sanders?

[revbones]

16. It's customary to release speech transcripts. nt

[Metric System]

19. Oy vey.

[NanceGreggs]

53. Really?

Can you provide a link to where other potential presidential candidates have released all of their speech transcripts - especially the speeches they gave as private citizens, and not while campaigning?

TIA!

[Kittycat]

26. Quit changing the subject, he released his transcripts.

[kstewart33]

38. Now Rev, you know that's a false equivalency.

Something's not right here. But Bernie can simply release them and end the issue. Instead, he's pulling a Trump.

[lumberjack_jeff]

27. You're right. The transcripts are germane to the election and the future of the country.

The tax forms are not.

[kstewart33]

39. Nope. Let's see the returns.

If there's nothing there, then release them now.

[Democrats Ascendant]

8. "Hunh? WTF?" was my reaction.

I do my own taxes too, but I'm not running for POTUS....

Jake Tapper is not a very good "journalist," I'm afraid.

[Metric System]

12. Maybe he's a secret 1%er with Jane's money?

[HassleCat]

13. I want to see them!

Almost as much as I want to see the transcripts of the speeches candidates make to special interest gatherings.

[Democrats Ascendant]

17. I can never understand why this is so often an issue during elections.

1. All candidates always have to release them.
2. If the taxes are done, then all you have to do is dig around in the box/file folder with all the old ones, photocopy, and blot our your soc.

Am I missing something???

[libtodeath]

18. Want to bet his income for the last 10 years did not equal what Sachs paid Hillary?

[RealAmericanDem]

20. Give him a break, isn't he math challenged enough already.

[Old Codger]

22. Somebody

Running for office is somewhat challenged but it is not math it is ethics and it isn't Bernie.. some of them are repugs and one of them is repugnant, you can figure out which is which if you can be honest with yourself..

[mcar]

21. K&R

[Gothmog]

23. Trump will love this if Sanders is the nominee

Romney was hurt by his failure to disclose his tax returns and I doubt that Trump will fully disclose his returns. Sanders' weak excuse here will help Trump a great deal if Sanders is the nominee

[Nanjeanne]

24. The OP Headline is completely misleading. That is not what he said at all

Last edited Sun Apr 3, 2016, 03:11 PM - Edit history (1)

The quote, per the link in the OP, is:

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.

Not sure where he said he wouldn't release them because his wife did them.



In addition - way back in 2015 there was this article which stated:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who rails against the “billionaire class” on the presidential campaign trail, reported relatively modest income last year: just more than $200,000 on a tax return filed jointly with his wife.

SNIP

Sanders, who has been rising in the polls in his bid for the Democratic nomination against Hillary Rodham Clinton, voluntarily released the first few pages of his 2014 federal and Vermont tax returns Tuesday at the request of The Washington Post.

SNIP

Clinton has yet to release any tax returns, but her income in recent years appears to have vastly exceeded that of Sanders. Clinton has made millions in public speaking fees and book royalties, according to disclosures she has made.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/06/30/on-tax-returns-sanders-and-wife-report-200000-in-income-mostly-from-his-senate-post/

So . . . 2014 was released and he said he will be releasing the others as soon as possible. Desperation is permeating this faux-scandal!

[noretreatnosurrender]

31. Misleading

happens a lot around here. And this weekend even more than usual.

[MineralMan]

25. I prepare the tax forms for my wife and I.

I could produce the last 10 years worth of them in less than an hour. They're all filed by year. All I'd have to do would be to copy them, or scan them into pdf files. No brainer.

Our returns are simplish, with just a few schedule Cs, depending on what things we were doing in a particular year.

But, they're all printed out as duplicates of what was filed. Easy peasy.

The past six years, I could supply in pdf form without doing anything at all, since I saved them that way when I prepared them.

[Kittycat]

29. Are you both out on the campaign trail at the moment?

1500 miles from home?

I wonder when was the last time they slept in their own bed? Same for the Clinton's for that matter. Though I gather the Clinton's call an accountant, and it sounds like Jane does their taxes.

[kstewart33]

40. Kittycat, they could have prepared the returns for release a long time ago.

Xerox them and hand them to their media spokesperson.

'Too busy' is not an excuse.

[Kittycat]

41. He didn't say he wasn't going to provide them. So what's your issue? Is he clinton's lap dog now?

Where's her transcripts, I'd certainly like to know.

In the interim, until someone gets a moment to satisfying your salivating judgement. Here's a start.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511638661

[MineralMan]

43. No. We're not running for office.

I have no idea of Bernie' s schedule, either. The excuse for not releasing the filing forms is that Jane prepared them. I related my personal tax preparation history, and explained that I could hand over 10 years of forms with less than an hour's work.

Beyond that, I said nothing. It is as I said.

[Kittycat]

57. No. He said Jane prepared them, and that he would look in to getting them.

He added that they would be nothing exciting.

In the interim, to get you started in the department of nothing exciting. You can get started reviewing his stated income and assets, even who he has credit cards with via his Financial Disclosures dating back to 1991. Then when you have his returns, you can dig in to cross reference. But since this will actually provide some added detail, it's a fun place to get started

https://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/reports.php?year=2004&cid=N00000528

[Nanjeanne]

32. I'm sure as soon as he gets off the campaign trail and home he will head to Kinko's and do just that

[Cal Carpenter]

28. Your thread title is a lie n/t

[AgingAmerican]

30. He will release them, then you can stumble on to your next meaningless red herring

As ordered from above...

[hrmjustin]

33. So much for him being the most transparent person in the race!

Honestly his staff should be ashamed of themselves that they let this happen. Assuming their is nothing to hide then why the hell did they let this hang out there?


Whatever the case is until he releases the returns he can not be taken seriously on the transcript issue.

[beam me up scottie]

49. Because his full financial disclosures have been on the record since 1990?

What do you think he's hiding justin, millions from speeches to wall street?

[TM99]

52. Oh bullshit.

More innuendo of impropriety flung at Sanders in order to deflect from Clinton's real ones.

His senate financial disclosures are out there. His tax returns, full ones, will be forthcoming. And just like his medical records, they will reveal nothing out of the ordinary.

But when y'all are losing, I guess even innuendo pays off. Right? Just a hint of what is he really hiding? Am I right? But no transcripts from Clinton, right? How about a full disclosure of the Clinton LLC which was left out of those 'complete records'? At least Sanders isn't being investigated by the IRS while Clinton is by the FBI.

To think I once respected you at all.

[Lucinda]

34. KNR

[frylock]

35. You guys found a new chew toy.

nom nom nom

[morningfog]

36. Trade tax returns for Goldman Sachs transcripts. Even Steven.

[Hiraeth]

46. enough of you. welcome to ignore.

[Marr]

50. It must be very frustrating, being a Hillary fan.

People don't think she's trustworthy. They do think Sanders is trustworthy. So all the smears go nowhere. Well, they bounce around Hillaryville, for whatever that's worth, but they don't go any further because no one outside of that bubble believes anything the bubble dwellers say anymore.

All this while you're defending a wealthy politician's right to keep her actual economic priorities secret *from you*, and spending hours arguing that the FBI won't find anything actually criminal in their investigation of her activities.

lol, yeah, ok-- tell me more about the looming menace of this salary man's tax returns.

[smiley]

51. What's this?

https://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/reports.php?year=2004&cid=N00000528

[DesertFlower]

54. my late husband wasn't interested in our taxes.

he signed them and that was it, but if he needed to produce them all he had to do was ask me. i keep them all filed away by year.

[Vinca]

55. Remember 2008? Hillary did the exact same thing.

And I doubt the excuse was because her husband does them. I'm sure Bernie's tax returns will appear long before the transcripts of the bankster-loving speeches.

[still_one]

58. It is a bullshit excuse. If Hillary pulled something like this, they would be calling Hillary every

Name in the book

Hypocrisy is thy name Bernie

[AgingAmerican]

59. When you guys post OPs like this

And a few days later he releases them, do you feel embarassed or stupid?

[wildeyed]

60. Hire an accountant?

Makes you seriously wonder if he is up to the job of actually running the country.

[silvershadow]

61. Hillary won't release the transcripts because she hasn't. nt

[Aerows]

62. I'd rather shoot myself in the leg

than do my own taxes.

Fuck it, get an accountant.

[MrMickeysMom]

63. This reminds me...

Hey, TRANSCRIPTS...

[kstewart33]

64. Two words for Bernie.

H&R Block!