Rachel Maddow Released Donald Trump’s 2005 Tax Returns
Maddow obtained the President’s 1040 form, which revealed that paid a 4% tax rate on his regular federal income taxes.
Rachel Maddow got a hold of a portion of Donald Trump's 2005 tax returns and broadcast them on her MSNBC show Tuesday night. The returns were brought to The Rachel Maddow Show by David Cay Johnston, an investigative reporter for DCReport.org (a website getting so many hits currently that its servers have crashed). The 1040 form that Johnston brought to Maddow shows that Trump made more than $150 million in 2005, and had to pay $5.3 million in regular federal income tax.
Trump and his wife Melania also paid $31 million in the "alternative minimum tax," which is a tax that Trump has stated he wants to eliminate.
Johnston told Maddow that he received the tax returns in the mail, and said that he would not rule out that the president himself sent them. "Donald has a long history of leaking information to the media when he thinks it is in his best interest," he told Maddow.
A statement from the White House confirmed that what Maddow and Johnston had were indeed the President's, while also saying, "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."
Maddow assured viewers that "The First Amendment gives us the right to publish this document."
You can watch Maddow explain the President's tax returns below.