Clintons made $10.6M in 2015, tax returns show

Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)

WASHINGTON

Pursuing a return to public service came at a cost to Hillary and Bill Clinton, as their considerable joint income dropped by nearly two-thirds last year when the former secretary of state began her run for president.

The Clintons released their most recent tax filing Friday, as well as 10 years of tax documents from running mate Tim Kaine and his wife, part of a renewed call for GOP nominee Donald Trump to do the same.

For more than a year, both Republicans and Democrats have pushed the billionaire real estate magnate to back up his boasts about business acumen and charitable giving by publicly disclosing federal and state tax filings, a customary gesture of transparency for presidential aspirants.

“Donald Trump is hiding behind fake excuses and backtracking on his previous promises to release his tax returns,” Clinton campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said.

Hillary Clinton, who announced her candidacy in April 2015, made $1.48 million from speaking engagements in 2015, a sharp decrease from the nearly $10.5 million she generated the year before. Former President Clinton made $5.25 million in speaking fees in 2015, less than half of his earnings the previous year.

The couple also generated income from book sales and Bill Clinton’s consulting business. Both listed the same occupation: “speaking and writing.”

Together they reported an adjusted gross income of $10.6 million in 2015, down from nearly $28 million the year before.