Same type story appears in right-wing media outlet, newsmax.com - 08/10/12 Not a good sign for Romney, who believes he can stonewall voters.
Slate.com also has an interesting column... DID MITT ROMNEY TAKE THE 2009 SWISS BANK ACCOUNT AMNESTY -slate.com - 07/17/12 If Romney did take advantage of the 2009 IRS' Amnesty Program, that info would not have appeared on tax returns he handed over to McCain's campaign in 2008...and might explain why Romney will not release more than 2 years of his tax info - 2011 and 2010.
The Huntsman is now the... wait, this metaphor isn't working.
On several occasions, I’ve been poised to join the crowd of liberal commentators ritually denouncing Harry Reid for passing on his anonymously sourced claim that Mitt Romney may have paid on the order of no taxes for ten years. What always held me back was a slight nagging concern: What if Reid is right? At this moment I’m glad I hesitated, because I now suspect Reid is right.
Oh, I’m not sure that the underlying claim about Romney’s tax payments is right. I suspect it’s a kind of colloquialism — “no taxes” is rich-guy talk for, say, a single-digit tax rate. But I do think Reid has a real source here. Markos Moulitsas [ http://goo.gl/cwor9 ] and a host of other online sleuths have compiled a pretty persuasive case that Reid’s source is Jon Huntsman Sr. Reid has described his source as a major Bain investor and a Republican. Huntsman (the father of the former candidate who’s now backing slowly out of the GOP) is a major Bain investor and a business partner with its managing director, as well as a Reid donor. Abby Huntsman curiously co-bylined a Huffington Post story [ http://goo.gl/28si4 ] claiming inside information about Romney’s returns.
So, assuming his source is Huntsman or some other legitimate figure, does Reid have a right to repeat what he heard? The answer becomes more clear if you consider it from Reid’s perspective. You’re Harry Reid, and a Republican you know with strong Bain connections passes on that the tax returns Romney refuses to release reveal that he is paying “no” taxes. Must you refrain from declaring this to the world? Given that Romney’s tax returns are something most people believe he is ethically obligated to release anyway, I’d say no.
Again, we ought not take Reid’s source’s word for it, which I think is exaggerated. But, unless Reid is just making this up and the Huntsman circumstances are a coincidence, in which case he’s a contemptible liar, I think Reid has a right to pass on a reasonably well-sourced rumor and throw the ball into Romney’s court.
Jon Huntsman Sr., longtime Romney backer, calls on him to release tax returns
By Greg Sargent
The internet is alive with speculation that the secret source Harry Reid claims to have on Mitt Romney’s tax returns is Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr. He is the founder of Hunstman Corporation and the father of the former GOP presidential candidate — and the speculation is based on the fact that his profile fits with much of what we publicly know about Reid’s presumed confidante.
But I just got off the phone with Huntsman, and he confirmed to me that he is not Reid’s source.
However, in a move that could be significant, Huntsman forcefully called on Romney to release his tax returns. This matters, because Huntsman is a longtime backer of Romney — he has long been close to Romney; he supported his early campaigns; he was the national finance chairman of Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign; and he has raised a lot of money for him over the years. (He backed his own son in the latest GOP primary.)
“I feel very badly that Mitt won’t release his taxes and won’t be fair with the American people,” Huntsman told me. In a reference to Romney’s father, who pioneered the release of returns as a presidential candidate, Huntsman said: “I loved George. He always said, pay your taxes for at least 10 or 12 years.” (See update below.)
“Mr. Romney ought to square with the American people and release his taxes like any other candidate,” Huntsman said. “I’ve supported Mitt all along. I wish him well. But I do think he should release his income taxes.”
Reid has claimed that he has it from someone who knows that Romney paid no taxes for a long time. Some have speculated Huntsman is Reid’s source because Huntsman is partners with Robert Gay, a lontime managing director of Bain; they are both officers at Huntsman Gay Global Capital. Huntsman is also close to Reid.
But Huntsman adamantly denied discussing Romney’s returns with Reid, and said he knew nothing about them.
“That’s absolutely false,” Huntsman said of the speculation. “I have absolutely no knowledge of Bain or Mitt Romney’s tax returns.”
Asked directly if he had ever had a conversation of any kind with Reid about Romney’s returns, Huntsman reiterated he hadn’t. Huntsman said his main connection to Reid is through their shared interest in cancer research.
In any case, the more important thing here might be Huntsman’s call for Romney to release his returns. He may be the highest profile Republican — and he’s certainly the one closest to Romney — to do so thus far.
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