Per their about page[0]:

> We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust — and we stick with those issues as long as it takes to hold power to account.

As you said, the "abuse of power" here is someone (likely) at the IRS leaked these documents. Someone with the power over others taxes chose to share that info. Then ProPublica is then using this information to push a tax story that they want.

[0] https://www.propublica.org/about

I assume the IRS had them stolen but perhaps you are correct and it was an IRS employee who feels like this is a noble thing to do.

Yeah this vigilantism from careerists in the federal bureaucracy must be punished.

We're never going to hear about the ins and outs of their darlings like AOC and Sanders (whose wife defrauded and destroyed a college she was put in charge of).

Instead this is a hit on people they dislike or disagree with.

Edit: y'all can downvote me all you want. I used to work in DC and I know the difference between a law, signed off on by elected officials who represent you, official rules, that go through a rule making process, and guidance, which is being routinely abused.

I also know that activists and bureaucrats are actively conspiring to push policy without winning a single election.

Everybody loves when people they agree with bend the rules, but what we've seen over the last several decades is a warping and poisoning of our policy infrastructure.