HERE’S A QUESTION: Do either Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry or his wife, Teresa Heinz, own any foreign property? Certainly the couple have plenty of American residences. There’s the $10 million Beacon Hill townhouse in Boston, for example. And the vacation ski lodge in Ketchum, Idaho. And the other vacation house in Nantucket. And then there’s the estate outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And finally, the mansion in Georgetown . The total value of Kerry and Heinz’s properties is estimated at around $33 million.
The key word here is “estimated.” Kerry has filed financial disclosure forms with the Senate Ethics Committee since 1984, but those forms only disclose a senator’s income-producing assets. Property isn’t included. And the tax returns Kerry’s campaign released in April contain information only on Kerry’s Beacon Hill townhome, of which Kerry owns a half-share. Of course Heinz’s tax returns would shed light on the number and value of the properties she owns. But she’s declined to release past returns–making her the first would-be first lady in history to do so.
