First of all, any network that had the 2 pages of Trump tax returns would have run with them.

[kentuck]

Also, both Rachel and her guest agreed that it was possible that Donald sent the tax forms himself. So they were not totally hoodwinked, as some have suggested.

But, whether it was meant as a distraction or not, it was still news and part of the continuing story. Even if they put out to divert the attention from some other story, that diversion is a big part of the story. It shows the people the limits Trump and his people are willing to go to confuse the American people.

So, we should go slowly with the blame game, in my opinion. Rachel is doing the best job she can do and that is more than anyone else I can think of at this time. The tax forms from 2005 are important pieces of evidence. Who knows? Maybe Melania had the forms stashed away in a dresser somewhere? After all, that was the year they were married and the first year, perhaps the only year, that they filed taxes jointly?

Let's go slowly with the criticism of folks that are helping us preserve our nation. Rachel is to be commended, not criticized, in my opinion.

[mcar]

1. K&R

[MontanaMama]

2. No kidding!!! Good point.

You know that any network that got their hands on the tax returns would have plastered them everywhere. We need to be cautious of taking part in the circular firing squad. We can't afford it. Believe the best until proven otherwise.

[SaschaHM]

3. If anything, the tax returns imo validates Maddow.

If she has some sort of agenda against Trump, she wouldn't have promoted or featured the story on the show.

People are quick to forget that Fox News said next to nothing on the day that Trump's Access Hollywood tape came out.

[argyl]

4. I agree.

[gibraltar72]

5. Rachel will

start tying it all together tonight. Gawd people want effin miracles. This is coming unraveled on so many fronts right now. Everyone just keep resisting however you can.

[kentuck]

6. She did run the tax forms by the White House...

...and they validated that they were real. She had no choice but to go with the story, with the clarification that they may have been sent by Trump?

[kcr]

7. The problem is the social media hype beforehand. The media have become clickbait trolls.

She only has herself to blame for people thinking it was a big old nothingburger because she had raised their expectations with the tweets making it look like she had something bigger.

[oberliner]

12. Exactly

She should have simply presented it as what it was - not as some kind of bombshell, which it wasn't.

[wishstar]

8. By steering attention to MSNBC rather than CNN- she helped expose more people to Russian stuff etc

I did not watch her at all during campaign but started back several weeks ago, mostly because Kellyanne and right-wingers have been absent from her show. Last night CNN had Trump apologist Van Jones, Trumpie Jason Miller along with Gloria Borger at time of the tax return reveal, so watching Rachel was immensely preferable to the right wing spin on CNN about the tax returns.

There are a lot of casual viewers who aren't aware of all the Russian connections and not regular Rachel viewers, that may have watched her show when they otherwise would not have without her heads up on twitter.

I didn't mind that she did her usual schtick of putting things in context since she was deliberately making the most of the opportunity to educate casual and newer viewers, since the tax returns weren't groundbreaking. I hadn't heard about the Mercer yacht and the Russian billionaires' yacht being spotted in close proximity last Friday, so that was interesting new info. David Kay Johnston was helpful in immediately suggesting possibility of deliberate leak by Trump and explaining the Alternative Minimum Tax that caused Trump to have to pay so much more in taxes, that Trump wants to eliminate.

[jmg257]

9. What are the tax returns important evidence of?

[kentuck]

10. They are evidence that Trump will do or say anything...

....to lie and deceive the people in order to save his own skin and reputation.

[jmg257]

14. He lied on his tax returns?? Confused on this one.

[Phoenix61]

15. He has been pushing to have the

Alternative Minimum Tax Repealed, which, based on his 2005 taxes, would have greatly reduced his tax bill. Just another example of a grifter grifting.

[NightWatcher]

11. CBS news tonight left out that the returns were stamped "client copy"

But they didn't dwell too much on it at all.

[Trenzalore]

13. I was watching wrassling

As soon as I heard they were from 2005 and were 2 pages I continued to watch wrestling.

I figured this was a diversion because times are getting heated.