Text size:

Cindy McCain says she'll never release her tax returns

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 9, 2008

WASHINGTON - Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public.

"My husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue," Cindy McCain said on NBC's "Today" yesterday.

Asked if she would release her tax returns if she was first lady, Cindy McCain said: "No."

The Arizona senator released his tax return last month. He files separately from his wife, an heiress to a Phoenix-based beer distributing company whose fortune is in the $100-million range.

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Cindy McCain's refusal to release her returns gives the appearance of a double standard on the part of her husband.

"What is John McCain trying to hide?" Dean said in a statement.