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JOHN KASS

In big jump, Obamas earn $1.67 million

By Mike Dorning
Washington Bureau
Published September 26, 2006


WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's first year in the Senate turned out to be prosperous not only for the newly elected senator but also his wife, according to information Obama released Monday from their joint 2005 tax return.

Shortly after Obama took office, his wife, Michelle, received a promotion from her employer, the not-for-profit University of Chicago Hospitals, nearly tripling her earnings to $316,962 from $121,910 the previous year.

The senator also reached a three-book deal worth $1.9 million with Random House shortly after his 2004 election, with the senator receiving $1.2 million in payments last year.

In all, including Obama's $154,047 Senate salary, the family earned $1.67 million last year, more than the family's combined income for the prior seven years, according to information provided by the senator's office.

Obama released information from the tax return in response to a request from The Associated Press, which first reported the financial details. A spokesman for Obama later confirmed the tax information.

Senate ethics rules require only that members disclose financial information in broad ranges and do not require disclosure of a spouse's salary. But some members of the Senate, including Obama's home-state counterpart, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), voluntarily release their annual tax returns, which provide a more complete picture of an officeholder's finances.

Obama press secretary Tommy Vietor attributed the jump in Michelle Obama's earnings in part to additional time she could devote to her work at University of Chicago Hospitals once Obama's Senate campaign was complete.

"After the campaign ended, Michelle was able to accept a more time-consuming and senior position," Vietor said. "She has degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law, and would be a major asset to any organization."

In March 2005 she was promoted to be the hospitals' vice president for community and external affairs, becoming one of 17 vice presidents for the the organization. She previously had been executive director for community affairs. She does not do any lobbying work for the hospitals in her position, Vietor said.

In June 2005 she joined the board of directors of Westchester, Ill.-based TreeHouse Foods, a food processor with various product lines, including pickles, refrigerated salad dressing and non-dairy creamer. For her work as a director, she received $12,000 from TreeHouse and $33,000 from a subsidiary, Bay Valley Foods.

The Obama family paid $545,614 in federal income taxes for 2005, according to the senator's office.

They reported $13,385 in interest income and $2,754 in dividends. The previous year they reported no income in either category.

Their tax forms reported $77,315 in charitable contributions, about 4.6 percent of their total income.

Their largest donations were $25,000 to the Illinois Reading Council; $20,000 for the Michelle Lee Fund, a literacy program; $16,000 for CARE, including money targeted toward an AIDS project in Kenya, the home country of Obama's father, which the senator recently visited in part to highlight efforts to combat the spread of AIDS; and $5,000 to the Trinity United Church of Christ.

The Obamas also reported payments to care providers for their children, including payment of employer contributions to Social Security on their behalf.

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In fact, I think I see a certain citizen of Columbus jumping up from her chair and kissing her monitor as she reads Walter's message.

By the way the link to the Oprah endorsement didn't work (subscriber-only), could you excerpt the pertinent part? Thanks!

Cool, thanks!