MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow created a firestorm on social media Tuesday evening after announcing an hour before her primetime show that she’d obtained an illegal copy of President Donald Trump’s tax records.
The bombshell had liberals foaming at the mouth and scrambling to tune in. Would the documents prove the leftist conspiracy theory that Trump had shady Russian connections? Would they show he cheated the system? Hid his income?
Answer: None of the above.
The big reveal was a huge flop — and conservatives were left howling with laughter.
https://twitter.com/MarkDice/status/841828013620715520
Maddow’s “big reveal” was so underwhelming, Trump supporters have been speculating that the president HIMSELF leaked the documents — just to make Maddow look foolish.
The tax return documents showed Trump paid a higher tax rate (25%) in 2005 than both former President Barack Obama (19%) and socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (13%). The only thing they proved is that Trump is widely successful. According to the leak, the president paid $38 million on $150 million income in 2005
In fact, Trump even paid more than MSNBC Comcast (24%), the company signing Maddow’s paychecks.
The White House even managed to steal Maddow’s pre-show thunder by pre-emptively releasing the illegally leaked documents with the following statement —
You know you are desperate for ratings when you are willing to violate the law to push a story about two pages of tax returns from over a decade ago.
Before being elected President, Mr. Trump was one of the most successful businessmen in the world with a responsibility to his company, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required. That being said, Mr. Trump paid $38 million dollars even after taking into account large scale depreciation for construction, on an income of more than $150 million dollars, as well as paying tens of millions of dollars in other taxes such as sales and excise taxes and employment taxes and this illegally published return proves just that.
Despite this substantial income figure and tax paid, it is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns.
The dishonest media can continue to make this part of their agenda, while the President will focus on his, which includes tax reform that will benefit all Americans
Checkmate.
— The Horn editorial team