Twitter users
thought Romney was dodging big time
Debate transcripts don't usually make for fun reading, but
this is special:
EVANS: Governor Romney, Speaker Gingrich, Senator Santorum and now vocally tonight Senator Perry — Governor Perry — are calling for you to release your tax records. The Obama campaign is asking for the same thing. Governor, will you release your income tax records?
ROMNEY: You know, I looked at what has been done in campaigns in the past with Senator McCain and President George W. Bush and others. They have tended to release tax records in April or tax season. I hadn’t planned on releasing tax records because the law requires us to release all of our assets, all the things we own. That I have already released. It’s a pretty full disclosure. But, you know, if that’s been the tradition and I’m not opposed to doing that, time will tell. But I anticipate that most likely I am going to get asked to do that around the April time period and I’ll keep that open.
EVANS: Governor, you will plan then to release your income tax records around April?
ROMNEY: I think I’ve heard enough from folks saying, look, let’s see your tax records. I have nothing in them that suggests there’s any problem and I’m happy to do so. I sort of feel like we are showing a lot of exposure at this point. And if I become our nominee, and what’s happened in history is people have released them in about April of the coming year and that’s probably what I would do.
So he kind of sort of maybe might release his tax returns ... if Republicans nominate him first.
The only straightforward things he said was that he has "nothing" to hide in his tax returns and that he would be "happy" to release them. But will he actually release them? Nobody really knows because his full answer featured a world class display of hedging and waffling: "Tended to release" ... "if that's been" ... "time will tell" ... "I anticipate that most likely" ... "I'll keep that open" ... "I sort of feel" ... "If I become our nominee" ... "probably what I would do."
And he wonders why people don't trust him.