Clintons’ Income Topped $109 Million

Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton earned a combined $109 million between 2000 and 2007 and paid $33.8 million in federal taxes, according to tax information released Friday by Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign. The former president has earned $51,855,599 from speeches since leaving the White House. In 2007 alone, former President Clinton earned more than $10 million in speaking fees. The income from his two books, “My Life” and “Giving,” totals $29.6 million. Senator Clinton earned $10.5 million in book income over the period from her book “Living History.” They donated more than $10,000,000 to charities over the past eight years, according to the summary from the campaign. The extent of Mr. Clinton’s income from speeches since leaving the White House has been a matter of public record because it must be reported each year on Mrs. Clinton’s financial disclosure filings with the Senate. But the tax returns illuminate another source of income, never before revealed, which Mr. Clinton has received from his partnership with Ronald W. Burkle, the billionaire investor and supermarket magnate. Mr. Clinton collected at least $12.6 million since 2002, and possibly as much as $15.3 million, from his work as an adviser and rainmaker for Mr. Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies. The lack of clarity is because the Clintons released only a summary of their income for 2007, which lists $2.7 million in partnership income but does not identify the sources. Based on previous years’ returns, it is likely that income came from Yucaipa. Since 2002, the former president has provided investment advice and helped drum up business for several domestic and foreign funds in Yucaipa’s portfolio, one of two consulting arrangements he entered into after leaving office. Representatives of the Clintons have said that Mr. Clinton has made arrangements to dissolve his Yucaipa partnership if his wife wins the nomination, in order to avoid possible ethical conflicts. The other consulting contract Mr. Clinton has had was with InfoUSA, a consumer database company run by a Clinton friend, Vinod Gupta, who gave $3.3 million in consulting contracts to Mr. Clinton beginning in 2003, according to court records related to a shareholder lawsuit against Mr. Gupta. The shareholders accused Mr. Gupta of improperly spending company money on the consulting agreements and on private jet travel for Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. It is not clear from the tax returns exactly how much Mr. Clinton earned from InfoUSA each year, but a summary of the Clintons’ income from 2007 released by Mrs. Clinton’s campaign said Mr. Clinton was paid $400,000 by InfoUSA that year. Senator Clinton has been under pressure to release her tax returns, particularly from Senator Barack Obama, who posted his 2000 to 2006 returns on his campaign Web site last week. He said he will release his 2007 returns later this month. Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has not released his returns. Although there is no legal requirement that candidates release their tax returns, it has been common practice since the ’70s. A release typically occurs after a candidate becomes a party nominee, not in the primaries. The returns provide the most detailed look at the Clintons’ finances since 2000, when they last made their returns public. At that time they reported an adjusted gross income of $416,000. More on this to come, as we examine the documents. In the meantime, dig in and let us know what you find.