The shameless attempts by David Axelrod, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, and Robert Gibbs to suggest that Romney might be hiding something by not releasing his tax returns was made to order for Romney to hit back with demands that Obama release the Fast and Furious documents. Until yesterday, while appearing on the Sean Hannity show, Romney had avoided the issue almost entirely.
Via Daily Caller:
“Isn’t it amazing that the President of the United States, who by the way called me and congratulated me when I locked, or got a pretty good lock on the nomination,” Romney said. “He called me and said you know the country is going to benefit by an honest and important debate on the future direction of the country. That’s what he said. And yet, what he has done, has been one attack after the other on items that deflect interest from a real debate of the issues that the nation faces. This most recent one, suggesting that I would engage in something that is illegal, that is criminal. That I would hide assets and not pay fair taxes, not pay the taxes that are owed. I mean it’s unbelievable. And now he says well, this is a matter of transparency.”
Romney then whacked Obama for hiding Fast and Furious documents via executive privilege. Attorney General Eric Holder is now in criminal and civil contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa served him last October. Obama didn’t assert privilege over the documents until the last minute, right before Issa’s committee formally began contempt proceedings against Holder.
“Well how about the transparency of a President who through executive privilege is preventing the American people from finding out what happened in the Fast and Furious program,” Romney said. “If there is transparency that needs to be considered here, it’s the lack of transparency in his administration to let the American people know what has happened in a scandalous activity known as Fast and Furious. So Sean, I can assure you this. I have followed the law. I have paid my taxes as due. I have also disclosed through all of the requirements of the government, every asset which I own, fairly and honestly, recognizing, of course, not to do so would be not only wrong but illegal and criminal.”If Romney devoted 25% of the time to Fast and Furious that he does to the economy / jobs, he would get some serious traction. In fact, he may be the only one with the ability to get the issue into the larger court of public opinion.
