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Editorial: Clinton, Trump should release more records

 
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could not be further apart on the issues, in temperament and in their preparedness for the presidency. Yet the candidates have found common ground in one area — their lack of transparency.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could not be further apart on the issues, in temperament and in their preparedness for the presidency. Yet the candidates have found common ground in one area — their lack of transparency.
Published Aug. 23, 2016

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could not be further apart on the issues, in temperament and in their preparedness for the presidency. Yet the candidates have found common ground in one area — their lack of transparency. They are far less forthcoming than previous candidates for president about their personal finances, medical records and communications. With early voting starting in two months, it's time for the candidates to pull back the shades and give voters a more complete picture.

Finances. Trump, the billionaire real estate developer scheduled to campaign today in Tampa, has made his business acumen a key selling point. But he continues to refuse to release his tax returns, saying they are being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. That is no excuse.

No law prevents Trump from releasing the returns, and there is no basis for claiming that making them public would interfere with an audit. Tax returns would reveal his income, charitable giving, tax liability and other information that would paint a fuller picture of his business success and use of the tax code. He is the first major party presidential nominee not to release his return since 1976. Clinton released her returns from 2007 to 2014 last summer, and her 2015 return this month.

Is Trump as financially successful as he claims? What is his effective tax rate? Has he been as generous in his charitable contributions as he suggests?

Speeches. Clinton continues to refuse to release transcripts of paid speeches she made after serving as secretary of state. She reportedly gave 92 speeches between 2013 and 2015, often before bankers, earning nearly $21 million. Her Democratic primary challenger, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, accused Clinton of being too cozy with Wall Street. Releasing the transcripts could reveal any promises or priorities Clinton embraced before announcing a bid for president.

Health. As the New York Times noted Tuesday, no presidential election has had two nominees from major political parties as old as Trump, 70, and Clinton, 68. Yet they also have been more secretive about their health than many recent presidential nominees.

Neither has released more than a brief medical statement since 2015. Clinton's physician included information about a concussion she suffered in 2012, but aides said she planned to offer no further details. Trump has provided a four-paragraph statement from a physician that included little more than a broadly worded endorsement of his health. Neither has offered a recent or comprehensive look at their health, or agreed to allow their doctors to be interviewed. That stands in contrast to the practice dating back to Ronald Reagan and Al Gore. In Florida, candidates for governor typically provide more comprehensive health information than what Trump and Clinton have released. Given the singular role of the president, the stamina required of the job and the public interest in ensuring stability in the executive branch, the voters deserve to know more about the nominees' fitness.

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Communications. Clinton's reckless decision to conduct public business using a private email server as secretary of state continues to reflect poorly on her judgment, and the FBI has disclosed it collected another 15,000 emails in its investigation of her.

Though the FBI declined to recommend criminal charges against Clinton, this new trove of thousands of emails will only keep questions about her candor alive in the closing days of the campaign, as the State Department works to release the documents. This is yet another self-inflicted injury from a former Cabinet member, U.S. senator and first lady who still fails to recognize the obligations that come with such public roles.

The failure by Clinton and Trump to come clean on such serious issues is inexcusable in this era where voters should be better informed than ever. And the lack of openness is one reason why voters distrust both candidates. Time is running short, but Trump and Clinton could help themselves by being more forthcoming.