Tuesday evening, with much ballyhoo, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow revealed two pages of Donald Trump’s 2005 tax return, which she claimed to have obtained under what can only be described as dubious circumstances. Maddow declared, “For some reason that we cannot discern, this document has been made available. It has surfaced. It has been handed to a reporter.” And what does the return show? Trump earned a lot of money — $150 million — and paid a lot in federal taxes — $38 million, or what amounts to about 25% of his income. Stop the presses!

Catching wind of the story, the White House preempted MSNBC by releasing a statement that included Trump’s earnings and taxes paid. The statement concluded, “Despite his substantial income figure and tax paid, it is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns. The dishonest media can continue to make this part of their agenda, while the President will focus on his, which includes tax reform that will benefit all Americans.”

During the primaries, we called for Trump to release his tax records for reasons of learning who and what he has supported, not to know how much he’s worth or whether he paid his “fair share” in taxes. We also noted then and will reiterate now that Trump is under no legal obligation to share his tax returns, irrespective of what previous presidential candidates have traditionally practiced. What is truly disconcerting is the growing notion that it’s totally acceptable for the mainstream media to obtain and disseminate illegally leaked confidential information in an effort to harm Trump.

This latest Leftmedia witch-hunt exposes yet again just how anti-Trump they are. Recall the MSM collective yawn over Barack Obama’s numerous nefarious connections, such as Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers. Where was the dogged reporting by the MSM exposing Obama’s truly scandalous past associations? It was conveniently absent. In fact, great energy and effort was put into defending Obama against legitimate questions, often by dismissing them as merely the kooky concerns of the tinfoil hat club.

Now the Leftmedia is invested in the narrative of Trump being illegitimate, and no matter what the facts reveal, they have committed themselves to discrediting Trump at every conceivable opportunity. That’s what’s truly behind this tax story. And yet as has happened repeatedly, it’s proving only to blow up in their faces.