Um … so what? That’s basically what the White House said in response to MSNBC shill Rachel Maddow‘s “big scoop,” when she revealed two pages of President Trump’s 2005 tax returns.
According to Trump’s Form 1040 from 2005, the billionaire paid $38 million in taxes on income of $153 million.
Anti-Trumper David Cay Johnston, a former reporter for the New York Times, told Maddow someone had anonymously sent him the two pages through the mail.
The White House called the tax revelation a desperate stunt for TV ratings in a 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.”
The Trump administration was totally blasé about the tax information that mainstream media had obviously hoped to crucify the president with.
If anything, Trump’s tax returns allayed leftist concerns that he had paid no income taxes at all, as Hillary Clinton and left-wing media have repeatedly claimed.
Rachel Maddow inadvertently undermined an October 2016 New York Times story claiming Trump had paid no income taxes between 1995 and 2013.
The New York Times bleated this tabloid headline on Oct. 1: “Donald Trump Tax Records Show He Could Have Avoided Taxes for Nearly Two Decades.”
David Cay Johnston — who once wrote a negative biography of Trump — fueled conspiracy theories by claiming the president could have leaked the tax returns himself.
“It’s entirely possible that Donald sent this to me,” Johnston told Rachel Maddow. “It’s a possibility. It could have been leaked by someone in his direction.”
Many on Twitter noted that the tax return was stamped “Client Copy,” suggesting it could have come from Trump’s camp.
So once again, President Trump has the liberal media chasing its own tail:
"Client Copy" signature stamp indicates leak of Trump return came from someone tied to him, NOT from IRS
— Richard Tofel (@dicktofel) March 15, 2017
Clearly the source of the "leaked" return is Trump himself. 10-20 missing pages w/ key info. This is to DISTRACT us from Russia, health care
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) March 15, 2017
The fact that the two pages of the return are stamped "Client Copy" hints at it being leaked by someone in Trump World.
— Jonathan Alter (@jonathanalter) March 15, 2017
Whoever has access to "client copy" of Trump's 2005 tax returns likely has access to others. So why only leak that year's. I smell a rat…
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 15, 2017
Trump supporters loved the idea that Trump trolled Maddow and mainstream media yet again.
What do ya bet that Trump himself leaked these tax returns to troll @maddow?
Love it.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) March 15, 2017
Dear Rachel @maddow,
Thank you for your Epic Fail on President Trump's taxes.
I needed a good laugh! pic.twitter.com/kutJ8XPRpn
— Briefing the News (@TheNewsBriefing) March 15, 2017
BIG LEAGUE MEDIA FAIL!
Hillary said Trump didn't pay taxes
Media SHOWED Trump paid 38 MILLION in taxes in 05!
Must watch and RT!#MAGA pic.twitter.com/jvk97x5O6j
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 15, 2017
Donald Trump Jr. thanked Rachel Maddow for her big “scoop” proving his dad paid a lot of taxes:
.@DonaldJTrumpJr reacts to 2005 #TrumpTaxReturn: pic.twitter.com/6nQ3y6YSaQ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 15, 2017
President Trump responded on Twitter, insinuating he had trolled the media after all.
Once again, Trump is playing 4-D chess while the press is playing checkers. Checkmate.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/841966077005463553
Rachel Maddow fear-mongers to drum up ratings: Rehashes failed Russia narrative
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