Clinton releases tax returns

Spencer Collins · #1 (**permalink**) 04-04-2008, 04:31 PM

Clinton releases tax returns

(CNN) — Hillary Clinton released her tax returns for the years 2000 to 2006 late Friday afternoon, ending weeks of speculation over her delay in making them public.

“The Clintons have now made public thirty years of tax returns, a record matched by few people in public service,” spokesman Jay Carson said in a statement. “None of Hillary Clinton's presidential opponents have revealed anything close to this amount of personal financial information.”

The campaign said the records showed Bill and Hillary Clinton had paid more than $33.7 million in federal taxes on a joint income of $109 million and donated $10.2 million to charities over the past eight years.

The New York senator had initially said that she would not release them unless she was the Democratic nominee. But at a debate shortly before the March 4 primaries, she said she would consider releasing them "even earlier," though she did not name a precise date.

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Good move,it's best to get this out of the way now!!!

cnredd · #2 (**permalink**) 04-04-2008, 05:11 PM

Dick Morris on TV just said that the sources that can be confirmed in the summary is $15 million short of what's disclosed, and there are only 2 sources mentioned that don't have a dollar amount...

One of them is from the Emir of Dubai...

From two years ago...

Hil's '08 headache: Un-presidential conflicts of interest?

Quote:

When Hillary Clinton runs for president in 2008, Bill Clinton's affiliation with billionaire Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies could become the new Bill & Hill scandal - the equivalent of Whitewater.

It's not that the various Yucaipa funds — which invest money for foreign and domestic investors — have done anything wrong; they haven't. But the company's investments have the potential to create conflicts of interest for the Clintons.

Like any U.S. senator, Hillary regularly casts votes that help or harm various interests — including, inevitably, the interests of the multibillion-dollar Yucaipa funds.

The issue looms larger in the wake of a story in last Sunday's New York Times, which quotes Burkle as estimating that he spends about 500 hours a year with the ex-president. That works out to about 10 hours a week — the closest thing Bill now has to a regular job.

The Times also reports that Bill stands to clear tens of millions of dollars — with virtually no risk — from his Yucaipa work. Yet Hillary's Senate financial disclosures for 2003 and 2004 list as Bill's only Yucaipa income "more than $1,000" in "guaranteed payments" as a partner in Yucaipa Global Opportunities Fund 1, LLC.

How does that work? Most of Bill's gains are backloaded — he'll clear those millions if the funds average returns above 9 percent over their lifetime. And Yucaipa says they're doing even better than that now.

But, until the funds are liquidated, there's no income for Hillary to report — even though the riches are destined for her pocket, too.

If Hillary's a presidential candidate, such conflicts of interest are even more relevant.

Yet we have no real idea how much of a conflict all this truly poses. Only the Clintons know — because they won't release their tax returns and will give only the most vague descriptions of Bill's work with Yucaipa.

As it stands, Hillary has not released her taxes with FULL DISCLOSURE...only a summary...

That's because she's not offically a candidate yet...She's only a candidate for the Democratic nomination...NOT the actual presidency...If she does et the nomination officially, THEN she'll have to give full disclosure...

But as it stands now, the Yucaipa income is still being reported by Hillary as "more than $1000"...

Which means it could be as much as $15 million...

cnredd · #3 (**permalink**) 04-04-2008, 05:16 PM

So...

What is this Yucaipa"?...

The Clinton's Hypocrisy on Dubai

Quote:

Hillary Clinton and her campaign repeatedly highlight her ardent feminism, her lifelong advocacy of workers’ rights, her consistent support for unions, and her love of Israel.

But those principles go right out the window if there’s money involved. When it comes to lining their pockets, the Clintons have a double standard. While Hillary chastises American corporations and employers for lay-offs and opposition to greater union organizing rights, Bill is paid big bucks that go into their joint bank accounts to legitimize the anti-Semitic, anti-worker, anti-union, and anti-woman Arab state of the UAE and its emirates of Dubai.

It’s not just Bill’s $1.2 million Dubai speaking fees that have enriched the Clintons, and its not just the million dollar contribution by the Emir of Dubai to the Clinton Presidential Library that has endeared the Islamic monarchy to them.

It’s much more that that: Bill Clinton was personally responsible for delivering the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the U.A.E., Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to a partnership with Yucaipa Cos., headed by Bill and Hillary’s uber-fundraiser Ron Burkle.

Bill Clinton is a paid adviser and member of the Board of Directors of Yucaipa. Together, the Sheik and Yucaipa have formed a new company, Dubai Investment Group Limited, to jointly invest Yucaipa funds and the Sheik's personal funds.

So Bill Clinton is now an adviser and member of the board of directors of a company that is in partnership with the government of Dubai — a part of the world that blatantly discriminates against women, abuses workers in violation of international law, outlaws unions, deports strikers, and bans Israelis and their products from ever entering the country.

The Clintons won't reveal how much the former president pocketed for setting up this deal, except to report on Hillary's Senate disclosure form: "more than $1,000."

It’s a lot more. According to San Francisco Examiner columnist P.J. Corkery, Clinton makes $10 million a year from Yucaipa.

At the same time, the average worker in the Dubai and the UAE construction industry makes about $177 per month, not enough to support a family. According to the U.S. State Department, 98 percent of the workforce in the UAE is made up of foreigners, who Human Rights Watch are for “indentured servants, with no right to form unions or hold strikes.” About 20 percent of them work in the Dubai construction industry. Most of these workers are illiterate and have paid huge fees (usually with loans) to get the job. It is a routine practice for employers to withhold paychecks for several months and to hold the workers passports as “security.”

winston53660 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-05-2008, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

So...

What is this Yucaipa"?...

The Clinton's Hypocrisy on Dubai

So what is so bad about doing business these days? Oh wait a Clinton did it

Spencer Collins · #5 (**permalink**) 04-05-2008, 02:20 AM

The Clinton's gave more to charity $10.2 million than most politicians in the same tax bracket.

cnredd · #6 (**permalink**) 04-05-2008, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winston53660

So what is so bad about doing business these days? Oh wait a Clinton did it

"what is so bad" about it is the exact same reason Larry Craig's actions wouldn't have been as bad if a Democrat did it...

Because the actions are coming from people whose political position is the OPPOSITE...

Read the first sentence again...

Quote:

Hillary Clinton and her campaign repeatedly highlight her ardent feminism, her lifelong advocacy of workers’ rights, her consistent support for unions, and her love of Israel.

Now if this was never highlighted by her campaign then there'd be no hypocrisy...maybe weak, but not hypocritical...

Just like Craig's actions wouldn't have been hypocritical if he supported legislation against gays...

Spencer Collins · #7 (**permalink**) 04-05-2008, 10:29 AM

I clearly see the hypocrisy of the Clinton's as well as the odor of mendacity that surrounds their political careers. That said,I see this among many in the political arena,the Clinton's have failed to corner the market. In no way is this an attempt to excuse these dealings and no,two or even a dozen wrongs don't make a right.This stench is an odor that Americans on both sides of the aisle have come to expect or at least tolerate. Eventualy,this story like many others,will fade away much like Hillary's chances of obtaining the nomination begin to fade away.

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