The Clinton Campaign Probably Wants a Do-Over on This One
One would guess the Hillary Clinton campaign would really like to have a do-over of spokesman Brian Fallon’s recent appearance on MSNBC.
Host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, was attacking the Clinton camp’s defense of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation and its apparent “pay-to-play” scheme during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. He had his producers roll tape of Fallon’s defense on the previous day’s Andrea Mitchell Reports—also on MSNBC—which pretty much came straight from the Clinton script.
“More than half the people in the world receiving AIDS drugs received them from the Clinton Foundation,” he said. “So, no, the Clinton Foundation will not be completely shuttering its work even if Clinton wins the presidency and for good reason.
“They want to continue this work, and you know what, if any American voter is troubled by the idea that the Clintons want to continue working to solve the AIDS crisis on the side while Hillary Clinton is president, then don’t vote for her.”
Not sure if telling an angry electorate tired of political corruption not to vote for your candidate is the right call when said candidate is facing significant charges of corruption? You wouldn’t be alone.
New York Times reporter Nicholas Confessore, while Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski sat momentarily in stunned silence, let out a long breath before he said what many watching were probably thinking themselves: “Wow.”
Taking a moment to try to compose himself, Scarborough proceeded to absolutely shred Fallon’s response for an entirely different reason than the “don’t vote for her” line. And, coming from one of Hillary’s favorite news networks, this one left a mark.
“That is so pathetic. You all are not really that pathetic, are you?” he asked.
“Please don’t be, we really need her,” Brzezinski added.
“Are you really that pathetic? Are you really that pathetic?” Scarborough then said. “You’re going to actually say that if Bill Clinton doesn’t have the opportunity to shake down billionaires, that AIDS will not be cured.
“So, I guess if we’re keeping score at home, Barack Obama is Moses and has the ability to stop the tides from rising. And Bill Clinton shaking down billionaires in Kazakhstan while doing deals on the side and getting paid $550,000 for a one-hour speech, that’s our only path forward to curing AIDS.
“You’re not really that pathetic, are you? Because if that’s the best line of attack you have, you need to go back to middle school and start all over again.”
Columnist Mike Barnicle attempted to defend the Clinton Foundation, saying it does “great work.” He said he’s less concerned about corruption as he is “bad judgment.” He rhetorically asked why the Clinton Foundation couldn’t be “melded into” the Gates Foundation, but Scarborough wasn’t finished unloading.
“Because then it won’t be about them. Because then it won’t be about Bill Clinton,” he said. “Bill Gates doesn’t shake down people for $550,000 for a one-hour speech.”
