MSNBC: Hillary Supporter Wanting to ‘Strangle’ Fiorina Was ‘Sort of Funny’

Newsbusters ^ | 11/10/15 | Kyle Drennen

[markomalley]

Attempting to excuse Hillary Clinton laughing at one of her supporters wanting to “strangle” Carly Fiorina, NBC correspondent Kelly O’Donnell appeared on MSNBC’s 3 p.m. ET hour to offer up a defense of the harsh rhetoric: “He then told a very detailed story about having been an employee of HP and laid off and he had a lot of anger and upset about that...So he has a very direct personal relationship, if you will, to Fiorina as the CEO.”

O’Donnell added: “Somewhat different than what we sometimes see on the trail where people are making a kind of random comment. Clinton, of course, was in that moment where the cameras are on. It was sort of uncomfortable, it was sort of funny. And what do you do? So she responded and the room laughed and it seemed neutralized in the moment.”

Reciting Clinton talking points on the controversy, O’Donnell declared: “...her campaign says this was a joke. No one took him seriously. Meaning he wasn't actually threatening to strangle Fiorina. That it was sort of a, you know, a punch line that he was delivering.”

O’Donnell wrapped up her report with an indifferent tone: “So it's up for people to decide for themselves how important it is, what to make of it, but it is the nature of New Hampshire politics that you get these sorts of exchanges where the candidate doesn't know who will be in the audience or what they will say necessarily, they have to react quickly and sometime the reactions don't necessarily go to their benefit.”

Here is a full transcript of the November 10 segment:

3:33 PM ET

KATE SNOW: For the latest, I'm joined by NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, she’s covering the Clinton campaign in Derry, New Hampshire. Kelly, I want to start off, though, with a piece of sound, a little moment that’s getting some attention from New Hampshire today. Hillary Clinton taking a question from someone in the audience who was speaking about Carly Fiorina. Let's play that moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: She laid off over 40,000 people and she says she's a great CEO. Every time I see her on TV I want to reach through and strangle her.

[LAUGHTER]

MAN: You know, I know that doesn't sound very nice, but –

[LAUGHTER]

HILLARY CLINTON: I wouldn't mess with you!

SNOW: So, Kelly, that was the response, “I wouldn't mess with you.” It's being picked up online. A lot of people looking at that moment.

KELLY O’DONNELL: Well, one of the things that's being pointed out, especially by Republicans, is that Democrats have often been critical when Republican candidates have not corrected someone they encounter along the campaign trail if they make a comment about perhaps Secretary Clinton or the President, and so it's sort of this search for parity. When are candidates supposed to sort of chastise the people they meet if they say things that aren't really politically correct or are inaccurate?

Now, I can give you a sense from being in that town hall, that man had spoken a couple of times. He had talked about himself being a Democrat, being upset if people criticize Clinton. He then told a very detailed story about having been an employee of HP and laid off and he had a lot of anger and upset about that for himself, for his colleagues. So he has a very direct personal relationship, if you will, to Fiorina as the CEO. Somewhat different than what we sometimes see on the trail where people are making a kind of random comment.

Clinton, of course, was in that moment where the cameras are on. It was sort of uncomfortable, it was sort of funny. And what do you do? So she responded and the room laughed and it seemed neutralized in the moment. But, of course, in the age we live in, Kate, that clip taken out, played, criticized, consumed by people who were not in the room, and it comes off differently. So at her next stop, her campaign was asked about it. Clinton didn't respond herself, but her campaign says this was a joke. No one took him seriously. Meaning he wasn't actually threatening to strangle Fiorina. That it was sort of a, you know, a punch line that he was delivering.

So it's up for people to decide for themselves how important it is, what to make of it, but it is the nature of New Hampshire politics that you get these sorts of exchanges where the candidate doesn't know who will be in the audience or what they will say necessarily, they have to react quickly and sometime the reactions don't necessarily go to their benefit. Kate?

SNOW: All right. Kelly O’Donnell, thanks so much.

[FlingWingFlyer]

No, Clinton going to prison would be “funny”. That ‘RAT bozo should be happy that he only got his ass laid off. He could have been in Benghazi on 09-11-2012.

[BookmanTheJanitor]

War on women? I guess not...

[RginTN]

GOP where’s your response!

[Sarah Barracuda]

Now if the same person had said that he wanted to strangle Barack Obama the media would be calling on that GOP Candidate to drop out of the race, but hey, when a Democrat pokes fun at murdering someone no big deal, I mean hey, how many people has Hillary Clinton murdered, no biggie

[fhayek]

Sarah Palin was crucified for merely using the word ‘target’ in a political context.

[Sarah Barracuda]

And she was called a murderer too, remember that, everyone in the media demanded she be put in jail for being an accessory to murder because she put a freakin DOT on a map, a DOT..meanwhile here you have Hillary Clinton, not only laughing at but it enjoying someone saying they want to strangle someone running for President, not just a someone, but a woman, and Hitlary Clinton claims to be all about supporting women LOL yeah I think she means only the women who are stupid enough to vote for her and then ask “Where is the nearest Planned Parenthood office”

[I want the USA back]

The pieces of $h!t on the left have fantasies about assaulting normal people and see nothing wrong with it.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Oh well, they knew he was only joking so it was OK - that’s the new scam - say any hurtful, outrageous thing you want, then claim you were only fooling about it or, even more pathetic, pull a The View and claim you’re a comedian and therefore beyond reproach....

[BerryDingle]

September 18th, New Hampshire, Trump takes a question from the audience and the man said we have Muslims in the country (including the Whitehouse); what are we going to do about the training camps around the country?

The media was in an uproar because Trump didn't defend Obama.

[Sarah Barracuda]

And the guy didnt even threaten Obama, just called him a Muslim..meanwhile this guy actually THREATENED to strangle a Presidential Candidate and the media thinks its cute..of course they do, the media will always be in the pocket of the Commie party..even when those same members of the media die their children will take over and continue the Commie garbage

[BerryDingle]

Man was an obvious plant. PIAPS doesn’t take questions. Since Khadhafi and Benghazi, murder is funny as hell to her.

[skeeter]

Not surprising.

Hillary thought Qaddafi being sodomized by a broom handle before being shot was funny, too.

[uncitizen]

You’re right. The hypocrisy these days is epic, even by LSM standards.

[Starstruck]

And yet I saw a lot of Freepers saying the same thing about Carly on this issue. We have become so hateful we are willing to destroy our own.

[Menthops]

Fiorina is not one of our own. Fiorina is GOPe.

[Starstruck]

Fiorina is not one of our own. Fiorina is GOPe.

And Trump isn't?

[Menthops]

Trump part of the GOP Establishment????

No, he is most assuredly not.