Hillary Clinton has said she would only release her tax returns if she were to win the nomination. But of course then it would be too late for Democrats to evaluate her finances as part of the nomination process.
Obama of course has released his tax returns:
Mr. Obama, speaking to reporters, zeroed in on Mrs. Clinton’s loan and said that her decision not to disclose her income tax returns raised questions about the loan.
"I’ll just say that I’ve released my tax returns," he said, responding to a question about tax returns. "That’s been a policy I’ve maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from."
Here is what Hillary has to say about releasing her tax returns:
Clinton campaign officials said she would release her returns if she won the nomination. The officials said there was enough information in her public Senate financial disclosures to assess her personal finances.
Her Senate forms do not list exact deductible expenses like interest or medical costs. The tax returns would show exact interest and dividends from investments, not just the ranges on the disclosure forms.
Her tax returns might also reveal and highlight Bill's dealing with Ron Brukle and the ruler of Dubai. Here is a description of that relationship:
Former President Clinton stands to reap around $20 million -- and will sever a politically sensitive partnership tie to Dubai -- by ending his high-profile business relationship with the investment firm of billionaire friend Ron Burkle...
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Mr. Clinton is also looking to close out partnership interests in a Yucaipa fund that focuses on investing in foreign companies. This fund -- called Yucaipa Global Partnership Fund LP -- has raised several hundred million dollars from a range of investors. Unlike his deal to advise the two Yucaipa domestic funds, Mr. Clinton invested an undisclosed sum of his own money in the global fund and has a limited partnership interest.
Mr. Clinton is also one of three owners of the global fund's general partner. The others are Mr. Burkle, who is the managing member, and an entity connected to the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Severing the tie to Dubai, a U.S. ally, will remove a potentially tricky problem for Mrs. Clinton. Questions raised about the activities of sovereign wealth funds -- giant pools of money controlled by foreign governments -- have become a campaign issue, as the funds have made a spate of multibillion-dollar investments in such corporate giants as Citigroup Inc. and Merrill Lynch & Co. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mrs. Clinton said such purchases are "a source of concern," partly because the foreign funds "lack transparency" and could be used by foreign governments as "instruments of foreign policy."
Bill's investments with the ruler of Dubai would become public and the basis of criticism in the general election. We should not have to wait until then to know of the international financial entanglements of the Clintons with Mideast rulers. We are entitled to this transparency before any nomination of Hillary by the Democratic Party.
Many say the Clintons have been fully vetted. That may be true for events in the 90s. But there have been recent financial transactions that should be looked into--or at least disclosed to the public.....