NORTHBROOK, IL —  Republican Bob Dold again recycled four-year-old footage in an ad he is putting on the air but once. This is a sad, underhanded attempt to dupe the press and voters into believing that Democrat Brad Schneider has not released his tax returns. The truth is that Brad did so in 2013, his 2014 returns are available and, as promised, he will release his 2015 returns. Yet, as he has in the past, Republican Bob Dold knowingly lies about this issue – and worse still, he is dragging Schneider’s wife into his deceptions.

“I am more than happy to debate Bob Dold on the issues, any issue, but I’m appalled by his repeated attacks on my wife and family,” said Brad Schneider. 

“Republican Bob Dold is down in the polls and so he is resorting to attacking Brad’s wife to misrepresent Brad’s record and get ahead,” said Schneider spokesperson Magen Ryan. “Brad released his taxes while serving in Congress and will be releasing his taxes again this year. Republican Bob Dold is desperately attacking Brad’s wife to deflect attention from his own record, including voting more than 20 times to keep common sense gun safety legislation from coming to a vote. The voters of Illinois are smarter than this and deserve a campaign about the issues, instead of Bob Dold’s repeated personal attacks and lies.”

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 Claim: Schneider refuses to release his household tax returns to the public.

 Reality: The key word here is “household.”  The reason the Dold campaign is making this claim, instead of attacking Brad Schneider directly, is because they are well aware he has released his 2013 taxes and will provide 2014 to any reporter who wants them.  He will release 2015 as soon as they are filed.

 Schneider released a Q/A explaining Dold’s attack on Brad’s wife in 2014:

Why did you file separately? As an elected official, I was happy to make my individual income tax returns available and accessible. My wife is employed full-time, and I filed separately so that she can be allowed her privacy.

 Will your wife release her returns? No. Julie is not running for Congress and should be allowed privacy. All of the information on investments held jointly by me and my wife are fully disclosed and available through the public financial disclosures filed with the House Committee on Ethics.

 Claim:

Robert Dold: I’m going to release my taxes, are you?

Robert Dold: We’ll take that as a no.

Brad Schneider: You can take that however you’d like.

Reality:

This clip is from October of 2012 (Daily Herald, 10/4/2012). As a member of Congress, Brad Schneider released his tax returns which showed the following:

 

Dold is relying on a 4-year-old clip to make a claim he knows is false.

 Schneider’s 2014 returns are available and he will release his 2015 returns.

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