Bill Clinton ‘Perplexed’ by Romney’s Refusal to Release More Tax Returns

Former President Bill Clinton said he was “perplexed” as to why Mitt Romney has not released more of his tax returns, saying it went against a precedent among presidential candidates.

“I am a little surprised he only released a year's worth of tax returns,” Clinton said on NBC’s Today. “That kind of perplexed me, because this is the first time in, I don't know, 30 years that anybody running for president has only done that.”

Clinton said that he released more than 10 years of tax returns when he ran for office, and even cited Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for releasing more than 20 years of his returns in 2008.

For the last week, Democrats have attacked Romney for his holdings in the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, and an investment in Bermuda, calling on the presumptive Republican nominee to release more tax returns. The Obama campaign released an ad, asking what Romney was hiding.

Clinton further said that Romney’s record at Bain Capital, along with his time as governor of Massachusetts and running the Salt Lake City Olympics, was fair game for criticism by his opponent. He said it was “just as relevant as going over my record as governor when I ran for president.”