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Scott Jensen Attacks the Press to Justify Not Releasing His Tax Returns

Jensen said he won’t release his tax returns before the election, calls the media “voyeuristic” and that he doesn’t “think we can trust the media to stay focused on the issues”

ST. PAUL, MN – In an MPR interview today, Scott Jensen attacked the press to justify his decision not to release his tax returns before the election.

“This is voyeuristic on the part of the media,” Jensen said. He later continued, “I’m not interested in having the media divert from the issues of inflation and crime and education in order to do this spitballing, because that’s what’s going to happen.…But before [the election] I honestly don’t think we can trust the media to stay focused on the issues.”

Releasing one’s tax returns has been a good-government tradition practiced by both DFL and Republican candidates for governor. Last week, Jensen’s running mate Matt Birk also refused to release his tax returns.

“Scott Jensen and Matt Birk clearly have something to hide – and voters deserve to know what it is,” said Walz-Flanagan campaign manager Nichole Johnson.

Tax returns can shed light on potential financial conflicts of interest, investments, or rental properties that would not otherwise appear on Minnesota’s financial disclosure forms for candidates – including out of state properties and assets. Birk appears to rent his out-of-state private lodge to clients of his consulting business and owns other property out of state, including a multi-million dollar estate in Florida.

Scott Jensen has used $65,000 of campaign funds to buy copies of his own book, potentially directly enriching himself. Matt Birk’s business received a $64,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in 2020. The PPP program was designed to ensure that struggling businesses could continue to pay their employees during the pandemic, but it appears that Birk was one of just two employees.

 

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