On Today, Matt Lauer, Tim Russert, and Andrea Mitchell discussed Bill and Hillary Clinton's tax returns, speculating about, in Lauer's words, the "actual impact" the returns will have on "those so-called blue-collar workers that are so much a part of her base." They did not mention that Sen. John McCain has yet to release his tax returns, nor did they speculate as to what impact McCain's family's wealth would have on his ability to connect with "blue-collar workers."

During the April 7 edition of NBC's Today, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell asserted of the April 4 release of Sen. Hillary Clinton's and former President Bill Clinton's recent tax returns, "The numbers are stunning," and NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert stated that "the tax returns, $109 million, $15 million a year," adding, "The average, median income in Pennsylvania is $46,000." After co-host Matt Lauer asked, "[W]hat is the actual impact on those so-called blue-collar workers that are so much a part of her base?" Russert responded, "We don't know. Will there people who say, 'This is Washington as usual, this is cashing in on the presidency'? Or, 'Hey, they worked that hard; they earned it'?" Russert, Mitchell, and Lauer did not note that Sen. John McCain has yet to release his tax returns; nor did any of them speculate as to what impact McCain's family's wealth would have on his ability to connect with "blue-collar workers."

A Media Matters for America review of the Nexis news database found no instances of Russert discussing McCain's tax returns in the last three months.*

From the April 7 edition of NBC's Today: