TPM2012

Delaware Gov. Defends Reid’s Tax Accusations: ‘This Is Politics’

Delaware Gov. Defends Reid’s Tax Accusations: ‘This Is Politics’

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D), who has emerged as one of President Obama’s top surrogates for the Jewish electorate, on Monday defended Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s continued claim that he has a source who tells him Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for 10 years Monday.

In an interview with TPM Monday, Markell said Romney should have been prepared for the kind of questions being raised by Reid.

“It would seem to me that he would be ready for this, recognizing the comparison would come up to his father and to others,” Markell said. “The issue is he’s the one running for president. The questions have been raised about him, he could have them answered.”

Markell dismissed the Republican outrage over the top Senate Democrat’s claim that a Bain Capital investor told him Romney did not pay taxes for a decade.

“This is politics,” Markell said of Reid’s accusation and his refusal to name his source — and the ensuing GOP outrage.

Markell said that Romney could answer the questions raised by Reid by releasing the tax returns and until he does so “he’s keeping the story alive.”

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