In that campaign, Mr. Sanders disclosed his tax return for only one year, 2014, which showed that he and his wife had an adjusted gross income of $205,271, largely from his Senate salary and Social Security benefits. More recently, Mr. Sanders has come under criticism for his expanding personal wealth. A post on the website ThinkProgress last week called Mr. Sanders’s millionaire status “very off-brand and embarrassing,” and a video suggested he had stopped referring to “millionaires” after he became one himself. The website is run by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the sister organization of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. On Saturday, Mr. Sanders fired back, accusing the think tank of “using its resources to smear” him and other progressive presidential candidates. The think tank was founded in 2003 by John D. Podesta, a close Clinton ally who served as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman in 2016. (The editor in chief of ThinkProgress said in a statement that the site was an “editorially independent journalistic entity.”) [On Fox News, Mr. Sanders rejected the idea that his wealth was proof of the “American dream.”] Tax returns released by other Democratic presidential candidates have shown that they also earned more than a vast majority of American households in recent years. Senator Kamala Harris of California and her husband reported an adjusted gross income of about $1.9 million last year, while Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and her husband had $846,394 in adjusted gross income. Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas also disclosed 10 years of tax returns on Monday, though not his 2018 return. He and his wife, Amy O’Rourke, reported $366,455 in adjusted gross income on their 2017 return. The couple reported donating $1,166 to charity that year, just three-tenths of 1 percent of their income, though it is possible they made other donations not listed on their personal return. The filings showed the extent to which the O’Rourkes have benefited financially from family wealth. Mr. O’Rourke’s income was boosted over the years through his interest, passed to him by his parents, in a shopping mall and an apartment complex. Ms. O’Rourke collects dividends and interest from family partnerships established by her father, the real estate investor William D. Sanders (no relation to Bernie Sanders). In some years, that dividend and interest income contributed over $100,000.<doc-sep>Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks as he kicks off his 2020 presidential campaign at Navy Pier in Chicago, Sunday, March 3, 2019. Over the next several weeks, Sanders will travel to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and California. He will then return to Burlington, Vt., for the official launch of his campaign. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) (CNN) — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday released a decade of tax returns, providing new insight into how the Democratic socialist senator from Vermont became a millionaire between his two presidential runs. According to returns provided by his campaign, Sanders and wife Jane’s bottom line jumped from $240,622 in 2015, the year he launched his first White House bid, to $1,073,333 a year later, as the once obscure lawmaker became a political sensation on the left and a bestselling author with royalties pouring in. Since that first run, Sanders and his wife made a total of more than $2.79 million, putting them in the category of the super-rich. Sanders in a statement said the returns “show that our family has been very fortunate.” “I consider paying more in taxes as my income rose to be both an obligation and an investment in our country,” he added. “I will continue to fight to make our tax system more progressive so that our country has the resources to guarantee the American Dream to all people.” The records show Sanders’ growing income and confirmed his status as a millionaire, largely on the strength of proceeds from book sales, including the bestselling “Where We Go From Here,” published with Macmillan in 2018. Sanders reported a total 2018 family income of $566,421 – $382,920 of which came from writing and royalties. The documents showed he paid $137,573 in federal taxes in 2018 and owed $8,267 in taxes for the year. Sanders reported paying a 26% effective tax rate on his adjusted gross income. The couple reported donating $18,950 to charity. Sanders last year made $110 in music royalties, presumably for his 1987 folk album, “We Shall Overcome,” and an additional $1,810 from his 1997 memoir, “Outsider in the House,” which was published by Verso. He was paid and additional $391,000 for his books. Sanders had come under increasing pressure to make the tax disclosures as his primary rivals rolled out their own returns and critics – along with some allies – began to agitate for a more complete, public look inside the candidate’s pocketbook. The issue had become even more politically heated with Democrats continuing to demand President Donald Trump’s tax returns. The Vermont independent made his records public on this year’s tax filing deadline, just ahead of an appearance at a Fox News town hall where he is expected to call on Trump to do the same. The revelation that Sanders is now a millionaire had, in some quarters, surfaced doubts over his ability to effectively deliver the progressive populist message that made him a political star. Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir brushed off those suggestions, telling CNN the candidate’s personal wealth had “zero impact” on his policies. “If the ultimate question is, will he credibly push special interests and the billionaire class and the wealthy in this country to do the things that need to be done, like Medicare for All, like a climate jobs plan, the answer is yes,” Shakir said. “He could earn another million dollars and it would still wouldn’t matter.” In 2016, during his first presidential campaign, Sanders released only one year of records – from 2014. Sanders recently revealed that his income from book sales in the aftermath of that race had made him a millionaire. Still, he remains one of the least wealthy members of the US Senate. “Bernie Sanders paid his fair share of taxes,” Shakir said, adding that he hoped the returns would quiet the “hubbub and kerfuffle” that had grown in anticipation of its release. He also conceded that vague promises from Sanders and the campaign about their plans had contributed to the speculation. In multiple forums, including a CNN town hall shortly after he entered the race in February, Sanders pledge to share them “soon. “I think there was some interpretation left to ‘soon,’ which I, in retrospect, would’ve loved to have alleviated by being a little bit more clear about when it was coming,” Shakir said. “We wanted to do 10 years and so we had (an internal) conversation saying, ‘let’s just do it all at once so we have the most recent one.’”<doc-sep>WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, who has yet to release his tax returns, went after Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday night after the 2020 Democratic presidential challenger released returns that showed him to be a millionaire. In a series of tweets, Trump first attacked Sanders and later predicted that the democratic socialist, along with former Vice President Joe Biden, would emerge as the two "finalists" against him in the 2020 election. Biden has yet to officially enter the race "I believe it will be Crazy Bernie Sanders vs. Sleepy Joe Biden as the two finalists to run against maybe the best Economy in the history of our Country (and MANY other great things)!" Trump wrote on Twitter. "I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God Rest Their Soul!" It's not the first time Trump has chimed in on the crowded field of Democrats who have entered the race for the White House in 2020. He's attacked Biden's physical contacts with supporters, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's heritage and Beto O'Rourke's hand movements while talking. More:Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started This was, however, the first time the president has weighed in on a challenger's tax returns. "Bernie Sanders and wife should pay the Pre-Trump Taxes on their almost $600,000 in income," Trump wrote on Twitter. "He is always complaining about these big TAX CUTS, except when it benefits him. They made a fortune off of Trump, but so did everyone else - and that’s a good thing, not a bad thing!" On Monday, Sanders released 10 years of tax returns that revealed he and his wife, Jane, earned more than $550,000 in 2018, including $133,000 in income from his Senate salary, and $391,000 in sales of his book, "Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In." The filings also show he raked in more than $1 million in both 2016 and 2017. The documents show that Sanders, who throughout his career has called for an economy and government that works for everyone and not just the 1 percent, is among the top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. According to the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute, families in the U.S. earning $421,926 or more a year are part of this group. After Trump's tweets, some on social media pointed out that Trump has yet to release his tax returns, going against decades of presidents who have made it a traditional act of transparency. The president has claimed he hasn't allowed the public to see his finances because he is under audit. "How much did you pay in taxes @realDonaldTrump?" Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter. "Show us the tax returns. It’s time to put up or shut up." Contributing: Associated Press<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders released 10 years of tax returns on Monday, providing details of his growing status as a millionaire fueled by a sharp jump in income from book royalties since his losing 2016 White House run. Sanders, a U.S. senator who routinely rails against the “millionaires and billionaires” he says have rigged the system to protect their wealth and power, had an adjusted gross income of $561,293 in 2018, $1,131,925 in 2017 and $1,062,626 in 2016, the returns showed. He augmented his Senate salary with book royalties in each of those years, particularly in 2016 and 2017 when he made more than $800,000 each year in royalties. Sanders has published three books since the start of his first White House run, including bestsellers “Our Revolution” and “Where We Go From Here.” In 2014, the year before he launched his first presidential campaign, Sanders had an adjusted gross income of $205,271. Sanders had faced mounting pressure to release his taxes, with critics saying the democratic socialist’s millionaire status undercut his populist economic message. He has made no apologies for his financial well-being. “It comes from a book I wrote, pretty good book,” Sanders told a Fox News Channel town hall on Monday. “If anyone thinks that I should apologize for writing a best-selling book, I’m sorry, I’m not going to do it.” The interest in presidential contenders and their taxes has jumped since Republican President Donald Trump shattered decades of tradition during the 2016 campaign by refusing to release his returns - a stance he has continued since entering the White House. FILE PHOTO: Democratic U.S. 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders holds an evening public rally along the waterfront in downtown San Diego, California, U.S., March 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake Several in the growing field of Democratic 2020 contenders, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, and Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, have released their 2018 returns in recent weeks. Beto O’Rourke, the former congressman from Texas, released 10 years of his returns on Monday night. In the most recent year released, 2017, he had an adjusted gross income of $366,455. He promised to release his 2018 return as soon as possible. Most other Democratic contenders have pledged to release their tax returns soon. CHIDES TRUMP But the tax question had become more pressing recently for Sanders, who only released one year of returns during his 2016 campaign, as he moved into a strong early position in polls and fundraising among Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination to challenge Trump. Noting that Trump watches the Fox News Channel, Sanders took the opportunity to chide the president for his failure to release his returns. “Hey President Trump, my wife and I just released 10 years - please do the same,” he said during the town hall. Sanders faced criticism for only releasing his 2014 returns during his 2016 Democratic primary battle with Hillary Clinton, a millionaire whom he often derided for giving paid speeches to Wall Street. The tax returns released on Monday showed Sanders paid a 26 percent effective tax rate on his adjusted gross income in 2018. His effective tax rates in 2016 and 2017, his other high-earning years, were 35 percent and 30 percent, respectively. As part of his policy agenda, Sanders has proposed higher taxes on top earners and a big expansion of the estate tax, lowering the threshold where it kicks in to $3.5 million from $11 million, and placing a 77 percent tax rate on the portion of estates worth more than $1 billion.