JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Republican Party today called on Claire McCaskill to fully disclose the state and federal tax returns of her husband and those of their “shared” business interests. In response to a request from The Associated Press Sen. Jim Talent and his wife Brenda released their personal finances. Claire McCaskill turned down a similar request from the AP.

The Republican Party’s call for the full public disclosure of McCaskill and Shepard’s financial records was first made following the 2004 Democratic gubernatorial primary, during which McCaskill loaned her campaign $1.6 million from her family’s fortune built predominantly through relationships with governmental entities. The loan from the urbanite millionaire accounted for nearly half of the $3.5 million her campaign raised during the primary.

Also during the primary, McCaskill made it very clear that she is a full partner with Shepard in their various business dealings. Here is what she said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in July 2004:

“‘My husband and I are a team,’ [McCaskill] said. ‘We are married, and we share everything — assets, children and a house. The money I’ve loaned to my campaign is my money. My family is supportive of my efforts. Some have implied that the assets of my family don’t belong to me. That notion is pretty archaic.’”

“Claire McCaskill has made a habit out of concealing her personal finances from the people of Missouri even though as auditor she has demanded openness. The Missouri Republican Party feels it is appropriate that she provide a full disclosure of her finances and those of her husband and their business interests,’’ said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “While Jim Talent and his wife Brenda have opened their complete financial records for public scrutiny, Claire McCaskill continues to conceal the many sources of her family’s wealth including income derived from public money.’’

In recent months, McCaskill has stepped up efforts to conceal the nature of her public fortune, despite increased pressure for full disclosure. Earlier this year, McCaskill’s announcement that she planned to audit the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) resulted in a conflict-of-interest challenge from the Missouri Republican Party. Although McCaskill denied any conflict-of-interest, the MRP produced documentation that clearly shows that her family has benefited from more than $10 million in MHDC financing in recent years. Rather than address this very serious conflict-of-interest, McCaskill chose to ignore it entirely.

“There is a clear conflict between McCaskill’s duties as state auditor and her husband’s business interests and time after time both McCaskill and Shepard have insisted on concealing the source of their public-dealing derived fortune from Missourians,” Sloca said. “We believe issues like this could be best evaluated if McCaskill and her husband released detailed financial records. The only reason for refusing to do so is if Claire McCaskill and Joseph Shepard have something to hide.’’