On August 16, radio host Rush Limbaugh, radio host and Landmark Legal Foundation president Mark R. Levin, and right-wing pundit Ann Coulter all falsely accused Senator John Kerry (D-MA) of refusing to release his military records. On The Rush Limbaugh Show -- for the second time in less than a week -- Limbaugh advised Kerry to release his records in order to refute recent attacks by anti-Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. During his WABC radio show, Levin echoed this claim, saying, “All I know is, John Kerry can clear it all up. Just release his records like he told Tim Russert he would. But he won't.” And on FOX News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, Coulter urged Kerry to release his records to provide “a little more detail about ... these alleged Purple Hearts.” She also added another lie, saying Kerry “won't release his tax records.”

Kerry began posting his Naval records on www.johnkerry.com -- the official website of Kerry-Edwards '04 -- two days after his April 18 appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, during which Tim Russert asked Kerry if he would “release all your [his] military records.” As Media Matters for America noted on August 13, Kerry's official Naval records (including medals and citations), after-action combat reports, and command history for Coastal Division 11 may now all be viewed on www.johnkerry.com.

A summary of Kerry's military medical records -- released by Dr. Gerald J. Doyle on April 23 -- is also posted on the site. As MMFA pointed out, the Kerry campaign noted, upon releasing the summarized records, that "[w]hen the U.S. Navy sent Kerry his official Naval records, his military medical records were not included. Kerry reconstituted the military medical records from his personal files."

As for Coulter's claim that Kerry “won't release his tax records,” Kerry did exactly that on April 14. In fact, Kerry's tax returns for the past five years are posted on the Kerry-Edwards '04 website.