Maddow pointed out that the first amendment protects journalists releasing Trump’s tax returns, but on the issue of how the documents were obtained—having been mailed to Johnston—Johnston said, “Let me point out that it’s entirely possible that Donald sent this to me. Donald Trump has over the years leaked all sorts of things.” Johnston argued that the President leaks information when it suits him.
The significance of how the documents reached Johnston stems from the reality that only the top two pages of Trump’s 1040 form from the year 2005 were leaked, which only states what was earned and what was taxed; it says nothing of where the money came from. These pages represent the bare minimum of his tax documents for that year, given his unique earnings, his financial position in relation to his business, and his entrepreneurial stature. The forms prove that he earned over $150 million in 2005 and paid $36.5 million in taxes (via alternative minimum tax filing; the White House’s figure is inflated to $38 million to include payroll tax, which is not a personal deduction for Trump).
