Sen. John McCain and wife Cindy walk to his chartered plane on Sunday, May 18, 2008, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
by Jill Zuckman
After initially refusing to make her tax returns public, Cindy McCain released two summary pages of her 2006 returns showing that she had total income of more than $6 million and paid more than $1.7 million in taxes.
A campaign official said the wife of the presumptive Republican nominee for president was concerned that the issue of her tax returns had become a distraction for the campaign and decided to make them public.
Cindy McCain is the chairman of the board of Hensley & Co., the Anheuser Busch beer distributorship she inherited from her father. She and John McCain file their taxes separately and have a prenuptial agreement keeping their finances separate.
Cindy McCain received an extension on her 2007 tax returns and plans to release them after the papers are filed.
She received a salary of $299,418 in 2006, and received $4.5 million in real estate, partnerships and trusts, as well as capital gains of $743,476.
She also overpaid the federal government - sending in $2,042,564 when she owed $1,746, 445. She received a refund of $296,119.
Although she released released one year of her income taxes and promised to release a second year, the Democratic National Committee said John McCain is not running a transparent campaign despite promises to the contrary.
"Despite promising to run an open and transparent campaign, John McCain has only released two years of his tax returns," the DNC said in a statement. "No nominee from either party since Ronald Reagan in 1980 has disclosed that little information."
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Comments
Now submit to a drug test and show us your 2007 returns.
Posted by: jo | May 23, 2008 5:02 PM
Who's she getting the money from? Which of the many lobbyists working for McCain are contributing to that very large income?
Full disclosure NOW.
Posted by: K-Street | May 23, 2008 5:03 PM
Cindy "MSBUD" McBush must have had a good year last year not to have submitted those returns. Or, she had some interesting donations/deductions in 2007.
Posted by: Vivian | May 23, 2008 5:22 PM
"SUNCOR DEVELOPMENT SPEAKS"
"ALL BETTS" ARE OFF
WE WILL ALL GO DOWN!
WE WILL ALL GO DOWN!
RELEASE SOMETHING, RELEASE SOMETHING!
WE WILL ALL GO DOWN, FROM THE YAVAPAI MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE SAN PEDRO RIVER, WE WILL ALL GO DOWN!
DAVID MASON IS GONE, IT'S ALL GOOD! IT'S ALL GOOD NOW.
YOU GOTTA GIVE THEM SOMETHING.
RICK RENZI IS TALKING!
RICK RENZI IS TALKING!
"ALL BETTS" ARE OFF!
DAVID MASON IS GONE HOME TO MAMA! IT'S OKAY, IT'S ALRIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT! PASS THE "PARSLEY" PLEASE!
Posted by: Roger Morris | May 23, 2008 5:27 PM
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Posted by: K-Street | May 23, 2008 5:03 PM
What a very strange thing to say! You mean you don't think the owner of a major beer distributorship in Arizona (where it can get pretty hot) can make that kind of money from the sale of, uh, . . . beer?!?!
Please go back to self-loathing. Having seen paranoid Democrats, I must say I much prefer the self-loathing ones.
Posted by: John W. | May 23, 2008 5:33 PM
K-Street, John McCain married well. They file separate returns. She runs a company and receives income. She invests and receives income. John Kerry also married well. Did his wife disclose her ketchup income?
Posted by: Read It | May 23, 2008 5:34 PM
K-street, Cindy McCain gets her money from the family business. She was rich long before she married McCain.
Also, Teresa Heinz Kerry never released all her tax returns. The Looney Left was OK with that.
Anyway, where did Teresa did all of her money from???? (I know, but since the dingy Left asks about Cindy's money, I thought I would return the favor.)
Posted by: John D | May 23, 2008 5:37 PM
She is the Chairman of th 8th largest beer distributor in the US (largest in AZ), which did $338 Million in sales in '07.
I am surprised she is only paying herself $300K...most people in that same situation would be paying themselves a whole lot more.
Posted by: Dan | May 23, 2008 5:38 PM
Now, maybe you whining liberals can SHUT UP!!!!!
Posted by: joe | May 23, 2008 5:53 PM
The Republicans make a huge deal about Michelle Obama's income, yet when Princess Cindy's is questioned, it's considered paranoid. We have no idea that all of that income came from the family business.
Just because she's rich, that doesn't make her better. Just beccause she's rich doesn't mean that massive conflicts of interest couldn't exist for her husband.
You Republicans all worship the rich so completely, you really do think they are royalty not to be questioned.
Incidently, I think that Kerry's wife should have disclosed her financial information far more deeply mthan she did.
Posted by: K-street | May 23, 2008 6:00 PM
Hey, could we stop with the drug test stuff? I'm no McCain fan, but I think it's pretty low to go after a candidate's wife like that. That's something you'd expect from the Karl Rove types.
Posted by: Tom O | May 23, 2008 6:11 PM
Now, maybe you whining liberals can SHUT UP!!!!!
Posted by: joe | May 23, 2008 5:53 PM
Wow...you are a tough guy. I can see why the terrorists are scared of you.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | May 23, 2008 7:35 PM
Does she have a sister?
Posted by: david donahue | May 23, 2008 7:43 PM
While it's nobodys business what her income is, after hearing the numbers, I can see why the kentucky voters feel they have more in common with McCain than Obama. Particular the 21 yr old single mother of 2 and the guy with the year round garage sale.
Posted by: marc | May 23, 2008 7:47 PM
K-Street, It's not the family business. It's HER business. You may think Kerry's wife should have disclosed, but I'll bet a year of my income that you didn't post ONE comment about it until today. Keep up the double standard, your doing great!
Posted by: M Doran | May 23, 2008 7:50 PM
Sen. McBush paid attention in Rovian Politics 101. Release the damaging stuff on a Friday of a holiday weekend.
Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | May 23, 2008 8:17 PM
How about they are legal drug dealers? All of there money comes from selling alcohol...Lets not forget that is the number 1 abused drug.
Posted by: the truth | May 23, 2008 8:28 PM
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Posted by: Rick/Sneads Ferry, NC | May 23, 2008 8:17 PM
What makes you think her tax information contains any damaging stuff? Have you seen the details of it?
(Awkward Pause . . . )
I didn't think sot.
Posted by: John W. | May 23, 2008 8:44 PM
This is a highly admirable woman who had done a tremendous amount to assist sick children around the world. She also is a stroke victim and had back surgery which prompted use of pain killers. I guess Democrats don't know how to deal with commendable women who are not on a personal ego trip.
Posted by: Gordon | May 23, 2008 8:56 PM
This is exactly what we need, filthy rich people to run this country and tell us working lemmings what to do. Brilliant!
Posted by: Bob | May 23, 2008 9:19 PM
No, it is the family business, John's been flying around on Cindy's private jet all through the campaign, even though he said he wouldn't. Is that cost being picked u[p by some donor or lobbyist through Cindy? Face it if Michelle wouldn't release the sources of her income you'd be crucifying her. You'd be demanding to see the details. But since Princess Cindy was born rich, you are not willing to believe that it's that there is even the possibilty any conflict of interest or that there is even the possibilty of corruption.
Dream on. The rich aren't better than everyone else, they just have more money.
Posted by: K-street | May 23, 2008 10:01 PM
Rick/Sneads Ufairy,N.C.
Ummm, what damaging stuff?
Oh, you must mean that McCain's wife is a successful business woman and that John McCain is in good health.
Yea, damaging stuff to you cockroach Marxist libs.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | May 23, 2008 11:50 PM
It seems to me that Cindy McCain makes her money from running a legitimate private business while Michelle Obama earns hers from the taxpayer. The difference is that Mrs. McCains salary didn't double when her husband became a Senator.
Posted by: Rolland Fitch | May 24, 2008 7:04 AM
Four years later we are still waiting for John Kerry's billionaire wife to release her tax returns.
The DNC did not demand that Kerry force her too!
Posted by: Joe Jankovic | May 24, 2008 7:34 AM
Not an issue. She made allot of money. Good for her. I just wonder how good John McCains BBQ ribs are. Swamp Rats try to enjoy your weekend. Think of veterans like my dad and several of my comrade in arms who are no longer with us. Then in a quiet moment think about the direction this country has headed in the last few years. Think about what kind of future you want for your family. This is a great country which has been blessed for along time. Enjoy your weekend!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | May 24, 2008 12:14 PM
I hate to break it to you but Mrs Kerry made the same summary declaration of her tax information in 2003. The difference was that it was fairly clear from the summary what the source of Mrs Kerry's income was (primarily non taxable municipal bonds). Mrs McCains summary asks more questions than it answers. What did she invest in that gave her $740 Thousand Dollars in Capital Gain income. What was the source of four and half million dollars in income from Real Estate, Partnerships and S Corporations on line 17 of her 1040. Obviously the Bush capital gains reductions (that her husband wants to make permanent were quite good to Mrs McCain). What other investments does she have that could be made more profitable by tax policy that her husband is advocating?
Posted by: mike | May 24, 2008 9:46 PM