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考研英语阅读篇章: 克林顿一家家底有多厚？
Ever since Hillary Clinton drew attention to her finances by claiming her family was "dead broke" when they left the White House, speculation has focused on a seemingly simple question: Exactly how rich are the Clintons?
此前，希拉里曾称离开白宫时一度“濒临破产”，引起一片哗然。2001年年初，比尔·克林顿卸任、搬离白宫，夫妻两人开始一边投资一边演讲、出书，四处吸金，赚得盆满钵满。此番哭穷反引发质疑：希拉里究竟有多富?
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 presidency ended in early 2001 has been generated largely from paid speeches, lucrative book deals and successful investments.
Some of that wealth has been detailed 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 jointly.
But loose federal disclosure rules, requiring that officials report the value of their holdings using only wide ranges, leave much room for interpretation. 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offer more data points than exist for most other potential presidential candidates, the information is incomplete - and out of date.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 deflected 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 ethics 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 mutual 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 Rein with experience in government ethics law.