After nearly half of a decade, Congressional Democrats finally released former President Donald J. Trump’s tax returns and you won’t believe what happened next!

Of course, nothing happened. Like any article that says, “you won’t believe what happened next!” what occurs next is the most obvious sequence of events of all time.

The tax returns showed that the billionaire real-estate mogul turned reality TV star, turned president, turned Deep State public enemy number one, has done nothing illegal, but he does use the American tax code to his advantage.

On Friday, The Daily Wire reported that the records provide about 6,000 pages of information on how Trump handled his taxes; he often used various deductions and business losses to decrease the amount he owed to the federal government.

In reaction to the news, Hollywood celebrity Rob Reiner — the guy who played Meathead, the liberal bane of character Archie Bunker’s existence on “All in the Family” — tweeted, “We’re learning nothing that we didn’t already know about Trump’s taxes. It’s time to arrest this Lying Piece of Garbage.”

We’re learning nothing that we didn’t already know about Trump’s taxes. It’s time to arrest this Lying Piece of Garbage.

— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) December 30, 2022

You’ll note that’s sort of how leftists have operated since 2015. They will tout some new report, say “the walls are closing in!” or a similar phrase, and hype a pending arrest of Trump. When nothing materializes, they still push forth with calling for his prosecution anyway.

Why?

Well, they don’t quite say — other than the fact that Trump is mean or something.

But Reiner is correct. This gigantic report adds nothing new to the conversation.

In fact, as a candidate, Trump admitted that he used every legal avenue possible to avoid forking over money to Uncle Sam.

“As a businessman and real estate developer, I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit and to the benefit of my company, my investors and my employees. I mean, honestly, I have brilliantly — I have brilliantly used those laws,” Trump said in 2016. “I have often said on the campaign trail that I have a fiduciary responsibility to pay no more tax than is legally required, like anybody else, or put another way: to pay as little tax as legally possible. And I must tell you, I hate the way they spend our tax dollars.”

Of course, if critics wanted to slam Trump over taxes, there is some ground there to land solid punches. For example, on the campaign trail, he promised to plug loopholes that he and other ultra-wealthy Americans took advantage of while taking on hedge funds.

He failed to do so in his 2017 tax reform law, and his administration blamed Washington, D.C.’s establishment for the broken campaign promise.

Yet that never gets discussed. Perhaps Democrats are silent on that failure because they benefit from it and other workarounds — just like Trump.

Rather than admit that Trump is simply very good at working the system — or at least his accountant is pretty darn good at filing taxes — they attack him baselessly.

On that note, does anybody know if Trump’s tax guy is taking new clients? Tax season is coming up, and this author would like to give him a call.

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen rang in the New Year on the network by taking shots of non-alcoholic substances.

During a company town hall back in November, CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht informed staff that he would put a stop to much of the drinking that has usually been a hallmark of CNN’s New Year’s Eve programming.

At the time, it was believed that hosts like Anderson Cooper would be allowed to keep drinking, but anchors and correspondents like Don Lemon would be prohibited from drinking during the broadcast.

However, Cohen exclaimed during live television coverage, “We can’t drink!”

Cohen said that he had a pocket of edibles. “Will I take them? I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t know. It’s a long night. This is a telethon with no disease. Do you understand? We’re here all night! Passing time!”

Cohen and Cooper instead took shots of non-alcoholic substances.

“What we are doing is we are taking a mystery shot!” Cohen said.

They took shots of pickle juice and buttermilk, Mediaite reported.

WATCH:

CNN's Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper kept the New Year's Eve mystery shots going with a new drink: buttermilk https://t.co/5MxpKEO1Mh pic.twitter.com/cBYLkgUP7o

— Mediaite (@Mediaite) January 1, 2023

This year will be the first New Year’s Eve show overseen by Licht since he took over the network in February. During the meeting, Licht reportedly told staffers that drinking on-air eroded the presenters’ credibility and “respectability.”

Last year, the broadcast drew significant controversy when Lemon and Cohen both went on alcohol-fueled rants while on air. First, Lemon ranted to fellow host Alisyn Camerota and comedian Dulce Sloan about criticism he receives. “I don’t give a — what you think about me, what do you think about that?” Lemon said. “I’m a grown-a** man. I don’t care what you think about me.”

“I am who I am,” Lemon continued. “I’m a grown, successful black man who a lot of people hate because they’re not used to people seeing me — and people like me — in the position that I am. To be able to share what I … my point of view on television, it freaks people out. And you know what? You can kiss my behind. I do not care. I don’t care. I really don’t care. I have one life, and this is who I am, and I feel very, um … blessed and honored to be in this position to be able to do this. So all the hate I get? It’s motivation to me. Bring it. I don’t care.”

Then Cohen fired a shot at ABC’s annual New Year’s Eve program, which could be seen from the CNN broadcast. “If you look behind me, you’ll see Ryan Seacrest’s group of losers performing,” Cohen said. “I’m sorry, but if you’re watching ABC, you’re watching nothing.”