On Wednesday night, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC all neglected to cover the latest problem facing likely Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General (IG) found that a senior DHS official assisted Clinton’s brother Tony Rodham and Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe (Va.) in obtaining visas for their foreign business associates.
According to the report, Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gave “an appearance of favoritism and special access” while he led U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and “communicated with” those seeking the approval of visas “outside of the normal adjudicatory process and intervened with the career USCIS staff in ways that benefitted the stakeholders.”
While the networks chose not to cover this story, the Fox News Channel (FNC) show Special Report had a full segment on the issue. Substitute host Chris Wallace led off the segment by declaring it to be the latest issue for the former Secretary of State: “Three weeks after news broke that she used a private e-mail server, Hillary Clinton is trying to turn the page, even joking about it, but now Clinton faces a new controversy and it hits close to home.”
FNC’s chief White House correspondent Ed Henry reported that it spells “fresh trouble” for Clinton and raises “new questions about what her thousands of deleted e-mails might show” following the release of the IG report. Henry added that, even though White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest expressed the Obama administration’s full support for Mayorkas:
[T]he blistering, independent report found Mayorkas created an appearance of favoritism and special access in his handling of visas for several well-connected Democrats, like Virginia Governor and Clinton intimate Terry McAuliffe. Tony Rodham ran a company involved in raising money for McAuliffe’s venture building electric cars.
Later in his report, Henry mentioned that the IG report is not the only question that’s been raised recently concerning Clinton’s brother: “For Tony Rodham, meanwhile, The Washington Post has raised questions about his getting involved with the gold mine in Haiti after meeting a mining executive at a Clinton Global Initiative event.”
Instead of covering this scathing report and its implications for Clinton, the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley spent 28 seconds on a tease and news brief touting a German teenager who climbed a skyscraper in Hong Kong without safety equipment or asking permission.
Meanwhile, ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir and NBC Nightly News devoted 25 seconds and two minutes and 14 seconds, respectively, on the newest roller coaster opening in North Carolina.
The relevant portions of the transcript from FNC’s Special Report on March 25 can be found below.
FNC’s Special Report
March 25, 2015
6:07 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: New Problems]
CHRIS WALLACE: Three weeks after news broke that she used a private e-mail server, Hillary Clinton is trying to turn the page, even joking about it, but now Clinton faces a new controversy and it hits close to home. Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry is at the White House with more.
ED HENRY: Fresh trouble for Hillary Clinton and new questions about what her thousands of deleted e-mails might show after the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security found her brother, Tony Rodham, got special treatment in securing visas for foreigners in connection with a business deal thanks to Alejandro Mayorkas, the number two official at Homeland Security who still has the White House's full support.
(....)
HENRY: Despite that endorsement, the blistering, independent report found Mayorkas created an appearance of favoritism and special access in his handling of visas for several well-connected Democrats, like Virginia Governor and Clinton intimate Terry McAuliffe. Tony Rodham ran a company involved in raising money for McAuliffe’s venture building electric cars. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley declaring, quote, “Digging into the report and reading about specific cases, you can see just how questionable Mr. Mayorkas’ ethics and judgment were. And, just as bad, is the blind eye that the Obama administration turned when elevating this individual to the number two spot at the Department of Homeland Security.” Administration officials stressed the report noted Mayorkas did not break any rule or law. [TO EARNEST] He basically gave special visas and access to politically connected Democrats. How can you say he’s reforming it?
EARNEST: Well, Ed, to be clear, the inspector general who, as you point out, did take a close, independent look at this, did not suggest that individuals were not deserving of a visa. What he suggested is merely that the process didn't work very well.
HENRY: In his defense, Mayorkas said in a statement, quote, “while I disagree with the Inspector General's report I will learn from it and from this process.” For Tony Rodham, meanwhile, The Washington Post has raised questions about his getting involved with the gold mine in Haiti after meeting a mining executive at a Clinton Global Initiative event.
(....)
HENRY: Now, Tony Rodham has not commented on the Inspector General report. Aides to McAuliffe say the Governor was only pushing the Department of Homeland Security to deal with the visa request in a timely manner.
