克林顿一家家底有多厚？谁都不知道

 

The answer, at least for the time being, is that there's no way for the public to know.

 

The couple's wealth since Bill Clinton's presidency² ended in early 2001 has been generated largely from paid speeches, lucrative³ book deals and successful investments.

 

Some of that wealth has been detailed⁴ over the years in the financial disclosure forms Hillary Clinton was required to file as a senator and as secretary of state, as well as in tax returns she released as part of her 2008 presidential run. These forms record income from both Clintons jointly⁵.

 

But loose federal disclosure rules, requiring that officials report the value of their holdings using only wide ranges, leave much room for interpretation⁶. And while Hillary Clinton's past tax returns offer more data points than exist for most other potential presidential candidates, the information is incomplete - and out of date.

 

In 2010, then-Secretary Clinton's financial disclosures revealed a net worth totaling between roughly $10 and $50 million. In 2012, the last year for which she disclosed finances, Clinton's net worth was estimated to be between $5 million and $25 million.

 

Clinton deflected⁷ a question about her net worth during an interview with Fusion's Jorge Ramos that aired Tuesday night. Asked if she knew the figure, Clinton replied, "Within a range, yeah. I mean, we have two very nice houses, which we're very proud of and not selling anytime soon." When Ramos asked if it was millions, she said, "Yes indeed."

 

A spokesman for Clinton did not respond to requests for comment or to specific e-mail questions about her net worth.

 

Lawyers and government ethics⁸ officials say federal personal financial disclosure rules are vague（模糊的） for a reason. The rules are designed to prevent conflicts of interest between those in office and their investments, not to provide values for specific holdings.

 

Assets such as mutual⁹ funds and stocks, and liabilities like credit card debt must be disclosed by name if their worth exceeds a certain amount.

 

"These governmental personal financial disclosure forms are not intended to represent either in general or specifically net worth," said Jan Baran, a partner at law firm Wiley Rein¹⁰ with experience in government ethics law.

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