Does Rachel Maddow Really Care About Transparency?

This past week, Rachel Maddow's went after Donald Trump by focusing on leaked information regarding his 2005 tax return. Some may see her as a champion of progressive values and transparency, however I found the report to be hypocritical on many fronts.

• Trump paid more in taxes than I would have imagined. In fact, there was no smoking gun. He produced thousands of jobs while paying a fair amount to the Federal Government in taxes. Yet, the reporting seemed to indicate a smoking gun. Trump made $150 million in 2005 and that he paid $38 million in taxes, which equaled about 25 percent of his income. In fact, Trump paid more in Federal taxes than previous Presidents.
• Maddow risked counter arguments that poor people do not pay their fair share in taxes. Many people who perform a minimal amount of work and have children receive huge tax returns in lieu of not contributing their fair share of taxes. Her reporting actually validated stereotypes of the working poor.
• Rachel Maddow works along side Al Sharpton who for years has owed millions in taxes to the Federal Government. She has never called her colleague to task for not paying his fair share of taxes. Why did Sharpton get a pass for not paying his taxes?

Maddow's reporting is symbolic of partisan politics. Transparency is important on both sides of the aisle. If Maddow wants to be credible, she needs to have the same standards for reporting whether you are a democrat or republican. Until then, she is exactly like her counterparts at Fox News.