I’m sure if he is clean enough to have the support of Barack Obama, Alexi Giannoulias has nothing to hide – right?

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful David Hoffman late Thursday released copies of his federal income tax returns for the past five years and, with a sharp shot at competitor Alexi Giannoulias, challenged him to do the same…

Mr. Hoffman also repeated his pledge to place his assets in a blind trust if he’s elected to the Senate, and challenged Mr. Giannoulias to match him.

“The personal finances of each candidate should be of interest to voters, especially given the serious concerns that have been raised about the shareholders of Broadway Bank — 100% owned by the Giannoulias family– who pulled $70 million in dividends out of the bank just as increased loan defaults put the family’s bank on shaky financial ground, according to a recently published report” in Crain’s Chicago Business, Mr. Hoffman said in a statement.

We know that Barack Obama is one of the rarest commodities in politics: a clean politician from Chicago. Not only is he clean, he’s a different kind of politician. He wouldn’t just back the horse that the Illinois Democratic machine selects; he would insist that the man who seeks to occupy his Senate seat is as clean as Roland Burris he was is, right?

All that being the case, I’m sure we can count on the White House to join Hoffman in calling on Giannnoulias to release his financial records. The voters deserve to know.