According to news sources, Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential wannabe, Willard Mitt Romney requested “several” years of tax returns from his potential running mates; a fact released by a senior adviser to the campaign and one which suggests those Willard was considering were required to reveal more financial documents than he’s been willing to, and reveling yet another level of abject hypocrisy from Romney.

While talking to reporters Saturday, senior adviser Beth Myers – allegedly in charge of the VP selection process – evidently declined to specify exactly how many years of tax returns were required, saying only that “several” were requested in yet another stumbling blunder of a Romney staffer, and one that will only serve to draw renewed attention to Romney’s unwillingness to release his own tax records. To date Willard’s released one year (2010) and that’s not a complete record, as well as a so-called “estimate for his 2011 taxes”; it was Romney’s father, George who while running for the republican nomination in 1968, released 12 years of income tax records.

According to the Huffington Post, former Minnesota GOTP governor Tim Pawlenty told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday’s “This Week,” that he’d submitted “a bunch of tax returns” to the Romney campaign as part of being vetted.

“Well, I don’t know the exact number, George, but I — you know, there were several years, I believe,” Pawlenty said.

Stephanopoulos didn’t let Pawlenty off so easily and further asked whether it was more than two years of returns, to which Pawlenty responded, “Well, we don’t get into the details of the vetting process, but I gave them a bunch of tax returns. I don’t remember the exact number of years.”

There’s no doubt whatsoever the choice to not release his tax records has hurt Romney’s chances in a big way, coupled with hundreds of millions squirreled away in off shore accounts it’s made him look as though he was hiding something; but to require a vice presidential pick to provide you with tax records in order to be vetted while you stubbornly refuse to provide the same to the American people – so as to be vetted – smacks of rank insincerity, double standards and duplicity and it’s very likely Willard’s going to continue paying – and paying big – for his obstinacy.