Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist Wednesday ripped Rachel Maddow's report that President Donald Trump paid $36.5 million in taxes on income of $153 million in 2005, saying that the MSNBC host's "exploration of Al Capone's vault exploded in her face."
"The world moves forward," Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, said in an op-ed on Fox News. "Newsflash: Trump paid his taxes and more."
Maddow reported the information on Tuesday, saying that she had obtained copies of two pages of Trump's 2005 return from investigative reporter David Cay Johnston.
Johnston, who has won the Pulitzer Prize for his tax-related reports, told Maddow that he had received the documents in the mail.
The White House released the figures within an hour before Maddow's report but provided no information to substantiate its data.
She said her staffers confirmed the authenticity of the returns with the administration.
"Yes, two pages," Norquist said. "Yes, 12 years ago.
"After months of breathlessly suggesting that Trump did not actually pay any taxes at all it turns out that the percentage of his income that he paid was just about what someone in his tax bracket would be expected to pay — and two and a half times more than the average taxpayer," he said.
Norquist then noted surveys saying that most Americans believe that anyone should pay no more than 25 percent of their total income in taxes.
"The 25 percent tax paid by Trump was his federal tax alone," he said. "Doesn't count property taxes, sales taxes, state and local taxes."
Norquist then said that Trump ran on a platform in lowering taxes for individuals and businesses.
"Taxes are too high on all Americans," he concluded. "Trump and the Republican Congress are committed to lowering taxes and driving economic growth."