Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer Calls on Mitt Romney to Follow his Father’s Precedent and Release Comprehensive Tax Returns
LANSING – While Michigan Governor George Romney made history by becoming likely the first presidential candidate to release his tax returns when running for office, his son, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is now breaking that tradition and hiding his own financial records from public scrutiny.
Following today’s New York Times editorial calling on the younger Romney to release his tax returns – a practice that every Republican and Democratic nominee for president has adhered to for a generation – Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer released the following statement:
“Every day, it’s clearer that the apple has fallen very far from the tree. It’s time for Mitt Romney to follow the precedent set by his father, and embraced by a generation of previous candidates, and release his comprehensive federal income tax returns for the past eight years. If Mitt Romney is unfairly taking advantage of the tax system or entangled in any other potential conflicts of interest, the American people have a right to know about it. While he reluctantly admitted today that he pays “closer to the 15 percent rate” – much less than what working families in Michigan pay – it’s still time for Mitt Romney to come clean with Michigan voters and agree to hold himself to the same standard that his father and major Republican and Democratic presidential candidates have set for decades.”
During last night’s Republican presidential debate, Romney found yet another opportunity to say anything to get elected – telling voters he’d ‘probably’ agree to release his tax returns in April even though he has refused to do so for as long as anyone can remember, including just last month.
###
