[h=3]By JEFFREY SPARSHOTT[/h]WASHINGTON—Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod said Sunday that Republican challenger Mitt Romney can discredit a claim that he had managed to avoid paying taxes for a decade if he simply releases more tax returns.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) last week said that "an extremely credible source" told him that Mr. Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years, though he hasn't provided evidence to back up that claim and hasn't disclosed his source.
Mr. Axelrod didn't try to distance the campaign from the claim.
"I don't know who Harry was talking to. The point here...is the Romney campaign and Gov. Romney can resolve this in 10 seconds," Mr. Axelrod said on "Fox News Sunday."
"Why don't they just put to this rest? What is it that he is hiding?" Mr. Axelrod asked. "They ought to release those tax returns and that would put all of this to rest."
Mr. Romney has faced pressure from Democrats—and even some Republicans—to release additional tax returns. He has made public his 2010 return, which shows he paid federal income taxes at a 13.9% rate on $21.6 million in income, and has said he will release his 2011 return once it is completed.
The Republican challenger last week in Nevada said he has paid income taxes "every year—and a lot of taxes." He didn't provide more details about how much he paid, and he reiterated that he wouldn't release more than two years' worth of tax returns.
—Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.Write to Jeffrey Sparshott at [email protected]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) last week said that "an extremely credible source" told him that Mr. Romney didn't pay taxes for 10 years, though he hasn't provided evidence to back up that claim and hasn't disclosed his source.
Mr. Axelrod didn't try to distance the campaign from the claim.
"I don't know who Harry was talking to. The point here...is the Romney campaign and Gov. Romney can resolve this in 10 seconds," Mr. Axelrod said on "Fox News Sunday."
"Why don't they just put to this rest? What is it that he is hiding?" Mr. Axelrod asked. "They ought to release those tax returns and that would put all of this to rest."
Mr. Romney has faced pressure from Democrats—and even some Republicans—to release additional tax returns. He has made public his 2010 return, which shows he paid federal income taxes at a 13.9% rate on $21.6 million in income, and has said he will release his 2011 return once it is completed.
The Republican challenger last week in Nevada said he has paid income taxes "every year—and a lot of taxes." He didn't provide more details about how much he paid, and he reiterated that he wouldn't release more than two years' worth of tax returns.
—Colleen McCain Nelson contributed to this article.Write to Jeffrey Sparshott at [email protected]