The Birther issue has arisen again. The idea that President Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States has long been a lingering conspiracy theory on the fringes of the right, traditionally holding little weight on mainstream political discourse. Donald Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, has taken up the issue in the past and put it front and center. Now it’s come back to haunt him, with liberal opponents looking to hang him with it.

The problem is that the Birther issue is completely misrepresented. It didn’t start with Trump and it’s not a theory exclusive to the right wing.

In fact, Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign circulated the rumor as well, attempting to portray Obama as lacking American roots. Even Chris Matthews, a prominent liberal and host of MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews”, criticized Clinton for refusing to put the issue to bed.

Various articles from 2008 acknowledge the fact that Clinton campaign staffers were circulating a rumor that Obama was really a Muslim, and not a Christian. This was a part of an effort to portray the President as lacking American roots.

Despite claims that this was limited to low-level staffers, it’s clear that even Clinton herself was not prepared to put the rumors to bed. In an interview that year, Clinton would only go as far as saying “as far as I know”, Barack Obama is not a Muslim. It wasn’t a definitive statement in support of the then-Senator’s claim that he’s a Christian, but rather a weak answer to cover herself.

Five years ago, Politico even admitted that the Clinton camp was circulating an anonymous e-mail suggesting President Obama was not born in the United States. According to the conspiracy theory advanced in the e-mail, his pregnant mother was living in Kenya with his Arab-African father. Because she was not allowed to travel by plane, Obama was born there and then was brought to Hawaii to have his birth registered.

But where’s the criticism of Clinton this election cycle for making the issue more mainstream? While Trump did push the issue as well, Trump has been the only one getting criticized for it. In regards to Clinton, the mainstream media has actually been going the extra mile to prove she hasn’t been involved with the Birther rumors at all.

The evidence shows that Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign had a significant role in spreading the rumors that President Barack Obama is a Muslim who was not born in the United States. This is reinforced by Clinton’s refusal to definitively say in 2008 that she believed Obama was a Christian, as he himself had stated. So why is the mainstream media not just giving Clinton a free pass, but actually putting in overtime covering for her?

The mainstream media has always had a liberal bias, but this year it’s exposed itself as a propaganda machine for the Hillary Clinton campaign. If there was any doubt who the so-called journalists and their bosses want President, it should all be coming clear now.