When the news came on Tuesday night that MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was going to air out some of President Trump’s earlier tax returns, the administration got straight into action to reply.

Maddow went to Twitter to publish the upcoming story around 730pm, and by 8.20pm the #White House had already dismissed the story in a statement.

They outlined how much #President Trump paid and earned and then they scolded the media for their handling of the subject, saying " it is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns.”

A journalist muses on Twitter

All of this happened before the tax returns were even aired on television.

When it did air, #David Cay Johnston, the journalist was given the actual Tax Return mused about a theory: maybe Trump himself leaked the tax information.

“… it’s entirely possible Donald sent this to me. Donald Trump has over the years leaked all sorts of things."

Johnston only said it was a #possibility, but the idea spread quickly online.

The Washington Post looked at the matter on Wednesday and found that it was more likely that someone obtained Trump’s tax return in some way – either from a bank or a law firm – and then passed it to Johnston. Rather than Trump himself posting it to Johnston's home address. Trump disliked Johnston and wouldn't have wanted to have give him the scoop.