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Gavin Newsom’s tax return bait-and-switch: An attack on democracy

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Gavin Newsom promised to “release” his tax returns. He did no such thing.

On Thursday, the governor allowed a few journalists to view his tax returns behind closed doors.

Journalists were not allowed to make copies, take copies or publish the documents themselves; they could only take notes.

Worse, Newsom only allowed handpicked media outlets into the room, including KCRA, the Associated Press, The New York Times, and Politico. In a controlled process, they published their findings at 10 a.m. Friday under embargo.

Gavin Newsom promised to “release” his tax returns. He did no such thing. REUTERS

Newsom’s office excluded The California Post, though we led the push for his tax returns.

The hypocrisy is thick. Newsom attacked Trump for years for not releasing his tax returns — and then delayed doing so, himself.

Now he wants credit for transparency.

Izzy Gardon, who runs Newsom’s obnoxious “@GovPressOffice” account on X, said: “Governor Newsom is the first Governor in California history to publicly release tax returns covering every year of his tenure in office.”

But that is misleading. Newsom didn’t release his tax returns every year. He waited until now to release four years of returns.

The timing is no accident. Newsom and his wife, “First Partner” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are under federal investigation — supposedly, concerning her taxes.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the NALEO 43rd Annual Conference.
Newsom didn’t release his tax returns every year. He waited until now to release four years of returns. Carlin Stiehl for CA Post

In addition, Newsom will likely launch his 2028 presidential campaign as soon as the midterm elections are over, later this year.

The governor wants to create an impression for primary voters that he has nothing to hide — when, in fact, he has been hiding plenty, for years.

And he still is.

Newsom’s secret tax return “release” is a violation of the public trust, and an attack on the role of a free press in a democracy.

The governor likes to attack the president for favoring some media outlets over others, calling Trump a threat to press freedom.

But Newsom is no better — and in terms of hypocrisy, far worse.

If Newsom truly has nothing to hide, then our message is this: Release the documents directly to the public. 

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖

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