Campaign operatives for Bill White and Gov. Rick Perry are debating about a debate -- or the lack of one with all the candidates on the ballot.
Back to Basics, a left-leaning political action committee, published an ad in more than a dozen newspapers across Texas, urging Perry to "Face Us" and debate.
But Perry's campaign has been saying for months that the governor won't debate until White releases his full tax returns and financial disclosure statements from his years as deputy secretary of energy and chair of the Texas Democratic Party.
Perry's campaign even came up with an online ad challenging White to release the full documents.
Let's Spin Check the ad. Here's the text:
"Reporter: 'Are you worried that voters are going to see this as Bill White saying, 'It's none of your business what's in those tax returns.''
White: 'No, I mean it is the public's business how I made money during the years I was deputy secretary of energy.'
Perry Ad: Yeah? Then release your taxes.
Movie Clip: OK? Do it. Do it. Do it.
White: 'No, I mean it is the public's business how I made money during the years I was deputy secretary of energy.'
Movie Clip: Do it."
White's campaign spokeswoman Katy Bacon has said that the former Houston mayor has released his tax returns and personal financial disclosure forms from his years in elected office. But the full documents from the years in question have not been released.
So Perry's ad is essentially true.
NBCDFW received paperwork from the White campaign concerning the years in question, but the documents don't give the full picture of White's finances.
Bacon said that Perry has changed his demands when it comes to what White had to release for a debate. The White campaign also said that Perry isn't the one that gets to lay out the ground rules for a debate.
To see White's personal financial statements from 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 or 1997, click on the dates. For his personal financial statements with the Department of Energy from 1995 and his final 1995 DOE report, click here.
