Seems Wyclef Jean isn't the only would-be pol with a little trouble remembering the special meaning that April 15 holds. Nikki Haley has been fined nearly $4,500 for not paying her income taxes on time, tax records show. And she was more than a day late: South Carolina's GOP gubernatorial candidate and her husband filed their 2005 and 2006 returns more than 14 months after they were due. Haley, who released her returns after being challenged to do so by Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen, often cites her experience as an accountant on the campaign trail, notes the AP.
Her rep thinks it's no big deal, explaining that "like many others, the Haleys availed themselves of the opportunity to file extensions when necessary, and when they got their taxes prepared, they filed them and paid any interest they were required to." Wonkette also thinks it's no biggie: "Of course, this will only boost her campaign...because conservative South Carolinians know the IRS is evil, which is as good a reason as any to secede again." (More Nikki Haley stories.)