ily News)
BY
Nicole Hensley
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, March 15, 2017, 7:59 AM
The two pages from President Trump’s tax return that leaked late Tuesday reveal only a sliver of his complicated wealth.
The release of Trump’s 2005 1040 form is the second leak of its kind since Trump announced his White House bid. It tracks earnings from the same year Trump married Melania Trump, founded Trump University and was caught on a hot-mic advocating for sexual assault. It states he paid $38 million in taxes and earned $150 million.
Trump declined to release his tax returns during the presidential campaign — the first major party candidate to do so in more than 40 years, citing an ongoing audit.
The document revealed Tuesday, while intriguing, leaves many unanswered questions about Trump’s wealth and financial dealings.
Trump calls tax leak 'fake news' even though White House confirms
IS TRUMP FINANCIALLY COMPROMISED?
The origins of President Trump’s finances could likely be settled once and for all by releasing his tax returns. All presidential candidates have done so dating back to the Watergate-era. But Trump’s desperate attempts to keep his financial filings secret ahead of the November election — and after — only suggest he could have something to hide, such as financial ties to foreign governments. Such links could be used to influence real estate deals through the Trump Organization, and foreign and domestic affairs now that Trump is the U.S. President.
Trump’s cozy ties to Russia plagued his presidential campaign, especially as the Obama administration accused the Kremlin of swaying the presidential election with pro-Trump propaganda. Additionally, Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn were all found to have had mysterious communications with the Russian government.
Not Released (NR)
Jets belonging to billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and Trump were reportedly parked next to each other in Las Vegas in October and again days before the November election in North Carolina. (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump has repeatedly denied business dealings to Russia. Hours before the tax findings — first obtained by journalist David Cay Johnston — were revealed, the Palm Beach Post reported on a number of alarming coincidences tying Trump to at least one Russian oligarch.
Jets belonging to billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and Trump were reportedly parked next to each other in Las Vegas in October and again days before the November election in North Carolina. The Palm Beach Post learned that Rybolovlev anchored his “Sea Owl” yacht next to Trump financier Robert Mercer in the British Virgin Islands on March 10, according to marine traffic data.
Rachel Maddow claims to have President Trump's 2005 tax returns
Trump sold Rybolovlev his Maison de L’Amitie mansion for $95 million in 2008. A spokesperson for Rybolovlev said it was purchased through a family trust and that the two billionaires had never met, the Post learned.
ARE TRUMP’S TAXES BEING AUDITED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE?
It’s unclear. Trump has repeatedly refused to release his tax returns citing a supposed IRS audit but the federal agency has not confirmed it is probing his finances, according to the New York Times.
The IRS, however, has previously stated that an audit does not prevent anyone from releasing their tax returns.
Rachel Maddow disclosed part of President Donald Trump's 2005 tax returns on March 14.
Rachel Maddow disclosed part of President Donald Trump's 2005 tax returns on March 14. (MSNBC)
WHO IS BEHIND THE TRUMP TAX RETURN LEAKS?
An anonymous source — or sources — have mailed two sets of tax returns from 1995 and 2005 to journalists.
Rachel Maddow ratings may be explosive after her Trump tax reveal
In September 2016, a joint-tax return for Trump and his ex-wife, Marla Maples, was mailed to the Daily News and the New York Times in a manila envelope. The envelope’s return address listed the Trump Organization.
A photocopy of the 2005 filing disclosed on the “Rachel Maddow Show” on Tuesday night was shipped to the home of Johnston, the founder of DCReports.org and a 2001 Pulitzer Prize Winner for beat reporting. The unsolicited two-page filing was inside a #10 business envelope with no return address.
The original was stamped "Client Copy." Johnston has ruled out the IRS as its source and has not discounted that the President, or someone acting on his orders, may be behind the leak.
“Donald has a long history of leaking material about himself when he thinks it’s in his best interest,” Johnston told Maddow.