Romney failed to disclose income from Swiss bank

By KASIE HUNT
Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Mitt and Ann Romney failed to list investment income from a Swiss bank account on financial disclosure forms filed last year. Other income was missing from the disclosure documents required of presidential candidates.

A Romney spokeswoman said Thursday the adjustments would be trivial and would not alter the overall picture of the Romneys' finances. The former Massachusetts governor has estimated his wealth at as much as $250 million.

The Swiss account was held in Ann Romney's blind trust. The tax returns show the Romneys made $1,783 in interest income from that account in 2010.

Romney's campaign said it was updating 2011 financial disclosure forms after the Romneys' 2010 tax return, released this week after intense pressure from his rivals, showed income from the Swiss account. Romney reported earning nearly $22 million that year, mainly from investments, and paid about $3 million in federal taxes.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had hammered Romney to release his tax returns while Republican voters were still choosing a nominee. Romney initially said he would release them in April, during tax filing season, but then gave in to demands that he make the tax returns public much earlier.

The missing income could become a campaign issue as Gingrich looks to criticize Romney ahead of Florida's Jan. 31 primary. Gingrich on Thursday called Romney's campaign desperate in the wake of attacks from the former Massachusetts governor and his supporters over Gingrich's fees for consulting for the quasi-government mortgage giant Freddie Mac. (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.