Chuck Todd's Softball to Hillary on E-Mails: 'Are You Concerned?'

NewsBusters.org ^ | January 24, 2016 | Tim Graham

[Kaslin]

NBC Meet the Press host Chuck Todd conducted a pretty soft interview with Hillary Clinton on Sunday, especially the way he let Mrs. Clinton get away with suggesting there is no e-mail scandal and “I cannot control what the Republicans leak,” as if the Inspector General of the intelligence community is some kind of Republican plant.

Chuck Todd's Softball to Hillary on E-Mails: 'Are You Concerned?'

Todd left it for the end of the interview, and only asked her if she was “concerned” – the softest possible way of putting it, not the Tim Russert way.

Last week you were asked about the FBI investigation. Are you concerned? You said you haven't been contacted by them. Are you concerned this investigation is taking too long? That it's putting an extra cloud over your candidacy and until it gets behind you, you're going to have these issues and Michael Bloomberg even cited it as a reason why he's thinking about running.

CLINTON: No, I'm not concerned because I know what the facts are. I never sent or received any material marked "Classified." I cannot control what the Republicans leak and what they are contending. And I thought it was interesting, Chuck, you’ll as a political observer understand why, back a couple months ago Kevin McCarthy spilled the beans that the Benghazi investigation was all about bringing me down, something that I suspected but I went ahead, testified for 11 hours, answered all their questions and even they admitted there was nothing new.

Now, Senator Grassley shows up at a Trump rally yesterday in Iowa. He’s the chairman of the Judiciary Committee who has — and his staff have been behind and pushing a lot of these stories, and announces he’s there for the simple reason, to defeat me. I can’t control what the Republicans are doing. But I know what the facts are and I will just keep putting them out there.

Hillary never lies or spins, she only puts out the "facts." Todd only followed up with another softball: “And Michael Bloomberg, your reaction to his potential candidacy.”

The Register editorial wasn’t much tougher than Todd, as they touted her experience as a big plus:

She is not a perfect candidate, as evidenced the way she has handled the furor over her private email server. In our endorsement of her 2008 campaign for president, we wrote that “when she makes a mistake, she should just say so.” That appears to be a lesson she has yet to fully embrace.

[Kaslin]

More in the link

[Tea Party Terrorist]

Hillary should ask “When has discussion of my emails ever fed a hungry child?”

[Menthops]

The GOPe hardly has standing to complain given the abuses of the GWB era - CIA agent outing, political federal prosecutor firings, etc.

[datura]

Hitlery should be very concerned, now that Biden is in the news again.

[mac_truck]

Clinton is still doing that I did not send or receive anything marked classified tap dance...why can't Chuck Todd see that?

Oh yeah, the blindfold...

[txrefugee]

“If you were a tree....” There is nothing as insipid as a Demorat being interviewed by another Democrat.

[Seaplaner]

I never sent or received any material marked "Classified."

Having worked as a young Airman, many many decades ago, with classified material...

...I never saw any classified document marked simply as "classified".

(The docs were marked with the classification, e.g. "secret".)

One suspects duplicitous, deceitful, and actually insulting Clintonian parsing to avoid the truth.

.

[RetiredTexasVet]

I don’t think Chuck was selected for the job because he was smart. In fact, I think they select them because they are a bit challenged but can follow the script and enthusiastically pimp the designated candidate.

[Kaslin]

Excellent point

[shelterguy]

“”The GOPe hardly has standing to complain given the abuses of the GWB era - CIA agent outing, political federal prosecutor firings, etc.””

THose fake but accurate investigations were just for show. There was nothing illegal about putting plames name in the newspaper. We know this because nobody was ever charged with it.

It is also not illegal for a President to fire an attorney general. They can be fired for any reason or no reason.

[Ann Archy]

F. Chuck Todd...."What's your favorite color, Hillary"?? Or...."Aren't those Republicans MEAN to you, honey"?

Todd looks like a CHILD MOLESTER with that hideous GOAT-TEE!! YUK.

[libertylover]

I never saw any classified document marked simply as "classified".

Quite right and I've pointed this out on other threads. You beat me to it on this one.

[Arthur McGowan]

If the networks want to restore their reputations, they should have a rule: Any reporter who asks a question beginning “How worried are you about...” is instantly fired.

[Arthur McGowan]

THAT is a really good Clinton-speak catch.

[DoughtyOne]

Please VOTE in the Free Republic Caucus 01/24/2016.

Thank you.

[GreenHornet]

I never sent or received any material marked "Classified." Having worked as a young Airman, many many decades ago, with classified material... ...I never saw any classified document marked simply as "classified". (The docs were marked with the classification, e.g. "secret".) One suspects duplicitous, deceitful, and actually insulting Clintonian parsing to avoid the truth.

Quite correct. "Classified" is not a specific category stamped on secure documents. It is a generic term that encompasses various levels/markings of classification such as "Confidential", "Secret" and "Top Secret." Hillary is technically correct when she says "I did not send or receive any emails marked classified" - because there is no such thing.

[Iron Munro]

[rdb3]

Exactly what has this to do with Republicans?

[uncbob]

What he should have asked was

"All you communication as SOS was through your private email server and you expect people to believe none were classified ? "

[Kaslin]

BTTT