Newsday ran a story yesterday reminding its readers that during Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate race, she made much ado about the fact that her Republican opponent Rick Lazio had failed to release his tax returns three months into the race.
NYT 8/29/2000
The campaign of his Democratic opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, criticized the delay, asking whether he was hiding something. The State Democratic Party even sent a young campaign worker dressed as Uncle Sam to Mr. Lazio's campaign events, to shout at him to disclose the returns.
Even Howard Wolfson, Clinton's top adviser and communications director for her Senate campaign got into the act, dogging Lazio down a sidewalk in Harlem as he campaigned.
Nipping at the Heels of Lazio, Stop After Stop
It was none other than Howard Wolfson, the communications director and a top adviser for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate campaign, who came for one of the more unusual recent stunts intended to tarnish Mr. Lazio's appearances.
Mr. Wolfson, responding to Mr. Lazio's quip Tuesday that he would release his state income tax return in 15 minutes if Mrs. Clinton did the same (as a resident for six months, she would have no such return), sought to thrust on him copies of Mrs. Clinton's property tax bills from her home in Chappaqua...
''If he says he can release them in 15 minutes, why doesn't he?'' Mr. Wolfson asked reporters as he stood near a Democratic Party operative dressed as Uncle Sam and shouted for Mr. Lazio to release his tax return.
That's a relevant question the media should be asking the Clinton campaign today. Why the delay? Reporting for the 2006 tax year was 12 months ago so copies should be easy enough to be had. Yep. 15 minutes sounds about right. I bet Kinko's can do it in ten!
Lazio did release his taxes going back several years a few days later but that didn't stop Howard Wolfson.
''Rick Lazio can't explain why it took three months to release his taxes,'' said Howard Wolfson, a Clinton campaign spokesman.
Indeed.