Scarborough suggests Trump leaked own tax return to 'distract from Russia hearings and the Trumpcare meltdown'

pulse

March 15, 2017 3:01 PM

Joe Scarborough bought into the theory that Trump "cherry-picked" a tax return that made him look good.

MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough on Wednesday backed the theory that President Donald Trump leaked part of his own 2005 tax return to reporter David Kay Johnston, who revealed some documents from the return along with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night.

During an appearance on Maddow's show, Johnston said it was "entirely possible" that Trump sent the documents anonymously, saying Trump had "leaked all sorts of things" over the years.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, the "Morning Joe" host pointed out that the 2005 federal tax return depicted the president in a more positive light than some expected — Trump paid a federal income tax rate of 25%, despite writing off nearly $100 million in business losses — and that the fanfare surrounding their release helped overshadow questions about Trump's ties to Russia and the troubled rollout of the GOP's new healthcare bill.

The MSNBC anchor also dismissed CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who questioned why Scarborough blamed Trump without solid evidence.

Scarborough's accusation also appeared to come at another low in the relationship between the MSNBC host and the president.

Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign and much of the transition, observers — including Cuomo — criticized "Morning Joe" hosts Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for their close relationship with Trump, who at one point dubbed the hosts "supporters" and who occasionally took informal political advice from Scarborough.

After a falling-out during the campaign in which Trump dubbed Brzezinski "crazy," the hosts and Trump appeared to mend fences in the transition period, helping them gain access and scoops on the incoming administration.

Trump's "Morning Joe" viewership is well documented — advertisers and guests have even appealed to Trump directly during the show to some success.

But the two hosts have ripped into many of the president's policy decisions and rhetoric since Trump took office, slamming his unfounded wiretap allegations, the rollout of his travel ban, and people in Trump's orbit like counselor Kellyanne Conway.

Last week, the president unfollowed both hosts on Twitter.

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