Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid waits to take questions from reporters after a dedication ceremony for the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Las Vegas Medical Center in North Las Vegas on Monday, Aug. 6, 2012.
Published Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 | 4:13 p.m.
Updated Monday, Aug. 6, 2012 | 5:20 p.m.
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney speaks to supporters at an event held at Sierra Truck Body & Equipment, a North Las Vegas business, Friday, Aug 3, 2012.
Sen. Harry Reid kept up the pressure on Mitt Romney on Monday over the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s refusal to release more of his tax returns.
The Nevada senator has accused Romney of not paying taxes for 10 years, based on information from an unidentified source.
Romney has fiercely denied the claim.
Romney has released his 2010 tax return and estimates for 2011, but some critics, including Reid, are demanding the former Massachusetts governor release more years to provide a fuller picture of his finances.
Despite criticism from Republican Party leaders, some of whom have branded him a “liar,” Reid is sticking to his claim that Romney has avoided paying taxes by parking money overseas in places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.
During a press conference Monday morning after the dedication of a new Veterans Affairs hospital in North Las Vegas, Reid said Romney could put the controversy to rest by releasing more of his tax returns.
“This whole controversy would end very quickly if he would release his income tax returns like everybody else has done that’s running for president,” Reid said.
Reid made similar statements later in the day at an event near UNLV to announce a new clean energy project near Reno.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke out in support of Reid Monday, saying she believes it’s up to Romney to release his tax returns to prove Reid wrong.
In an email, Romney campaign spokesman Mason Harrison said Reid’s attacks were distracting from the real issues of the campaign.
“This is just another attempt by Barack Obama’s campaign surrogates to distract voters from his failed economic policies, which have yielded 11.6% unemployment in Nevada and devastated small businesses and middle-class communities,” Harrison said. “Given that he has no rationale for re-election and no plan to help middle-class Americans, it’s no surprise President Obama and his allies have resorted to running a campaign of distraction and dishonesty."
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