Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released 10 years of tax returns on Monday, putting to rest criticism that he’d refused to be transparent while showing his best-selling books have made him one of the “millionaires and billionaires” he loves to rail against.
Sanders and his wife Jane made $2.7 million from 2016 through 2018, according to the returns. Sanders’ adjusted gross income was $561,293 in 2018. He made just over $1 million in 2016 and $1.1 million in 2017, the years that his books hit the shelves.
Sanders stressed that his wealth is a new development in an accompanying statement.
“These tax returns show that our family has been fortunate. I am very grateful for that, as I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck and I know the stress of economic insecurity. That is why I strive every day to ensure every American has the basic necessities of life, including a livable wage, decent housing, health care and retirement security.” Sanders said. “I consider paying more in taxes as my income rose to be both an obligation and an investment in our country.”
Sanders had refused to release his tax returns throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, and had taken heavy incoming fire from allies of his Democratic rivals this year for not putting out his returns. But it appears at first glance that besides his own seeming embarrassment at his newfound wealth, there isn’t much hay to be made from his returns.
