Some wonder if the Mitt Romney Tax Return Theft hoax (fact?) is really just a political ploy by Karl Rove, or someone like him, to try and move Romney out of the position of “rich asshole who won’t release his tax returns to the American public,” and into the position of sympathetic victim (evil Democrats did it!). 

If so, good luck with that. I’m not sure many would feel sorry for him if his tax returns were released without his consent.

AP: “The plot in this mystery has enough holes that it could be an elaborate hoax. But it comes at a critical moment during the 2012 presidential campaign. In its broadest outlines, the case might be compared to Watergate, the 1972 political break-in that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. But unlike Watergate, which started with the arrest of bungling burglars traced to Republicans, the Tennessee case is a baffling mystery so far, without any clear suspects. There is no evidence Democrats were involved.

“[...] It was unclear even among experts whether the purported theft might be a hoax. The alleged culprit so far has provided no evidence that Romney’s tax returns actually were stolen, such as a scan of a partial page from one of the documents. But for seasoned and committed hackers such a theft was described as entirely plausible, especially for someone who could gain physical access to a company’s keyboards.

“[...] Even if the latest case were a hoax, hackers have been alerted to intense public interest in Romney’s personal finances. ”You’ve got every hacker in the world thinking, `Wouldn’t that be awesome to do?’” Maiffret said. “I have a feeling this is going to be a hoax, but you’re going to have copycats who are going to try to do this.”"

And just in time for all the new hacker-interest:

Larry Flynt Offers $1 Million for Mitt Romney’s Tax Returns: The offer will be featured in a full-page ad taken out in the Sunday edition of The Washington Post and the Tuesday edition of USA Today.

Release those returns, Willard. You’re supposed to be proving yourself, not asking voters to prove they believe you.