So there are a lot of inconvenient things about the GOP tax plan, starting with the fact that it has been continually pitched as a “middle-class miracle” when in fact, independent analysis overwhelmingly shows it disproportionately benefits corporations and the rich.

That’s not exactly surprising considering the source. And I guess it’s not surprising that Republicans would obfuscate about it. After all, they’re going to keep pushing trickle down economics no matter how many times it fails. What’s particularly nefarious this time around though, is the extent to which lawmakers are bald face lying to middle-class families in an effort to help Trump perpetuate the populist myth that got him elected.

The numbers are in on this and it is anything but a “middle-class miracle.” Of course, Republicans know that, but they also know that middle-class families aren’t going to do any actual research on this, so the GOP gets to go ahead and push false hope.

Worse still is Trump’s insistence that the tax plan isn’t good for him and his friends (“believe me”). That is manifestly untrue. We’ve been over this before (here’s the math), but just to reiterate, here’s a quick summary from The Atlantic:

“This is going to cost me a fortune, this thing—believe me,” Trump said this week. “Believe me, this is not good for me. Me, it’s not—so‚ I have some very wealthy friends, not so happy with me, but that’s okay.”

This is not true. In fact, Trump stands to benefit to the tune of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, according to tax analysts, though it is hard to know with much specificity, given that he refuses to release his tax returns and House and Senate Republicans keep tinkering with the legislation. The elimination of the alternative minimum tax. The changes to the estate tax. Abbreviated depreciation schedules. Deductions or special rates for pass-through businesses. All these provisions stand to benefit Trump directly. Indeed, tax experts have said that as a real-estate developer he seems uniquely positioned to benefit from tax reform.