On Wednesday's New Day, during a discussion of Donald Trump attacking Hillary Clinton over scandals from the 1990s, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin wrongly claimed that Hillary "was not someone who was accused even of doing anything untoward with regard to these women," and then laughed when host Alisyn Camerota jumped in to correct him.
After Camerota recalled Juanita Broaddrick's charge that Hillary Clinton approached her after she was raped by Bill Clinton, Toobin dismissed her credibility, as neither he nor Camerota actually used the words "rape" or "sexual assault" in recounting her story. Toobin: "Juanita Broaddrick, by the way, another matter investigated by Ken Starr, the alleged sexual misconduct of Bill Clinton with regard to Juanita Broaddrick, which he did not decide to bring any charges on. So, again, you know, you got to keep that in mind."
Shortly before 8:00 a.m. ET, after a discussion of Trump making an issue of the Vince Foster suicide, Camerota pivoted to the Clinton sex scandals:
The scandals about the women are different. Those really happened. Those, you know, as we know from the long Monica Lewinsky investigation, the Paula Jones investigation, so what do you think? Will that have traction now all of these years later?
Although former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris has implicated Hillary Clinton in intimidating women who might speak out against Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign, Toobin exonerated her from involvement in any intimidation campaign as the CNN legal analyst began:
You know, I doubt it will move new voters. I think the people who really dislike Bill and Hillary Clinton will find it another reason to vote against her. But remember, you know, as we keep pointing out, that it's Hillary Clinton who is the candidate here, not Bill Clinton.
She was not implicated in any misconduct. She was not someone who was accused even of doing anything untoward with regard to these women. Donald Trump is raising, you know, the specter of misconduct. I mean, there's just not even an allegation that I'm aware of.
Camerota then jumped in to correct him: "There are allegations, by the way, I mean, the women say that they felt intimidated by her. There's no evidence-"
After Toobin could be heard laughing, Camerota brought up Broaddrick as she continued: "-of that, but Juanita Broaddrick says that, you know, she gave her a sort of side glance and shook her hand too long and lingered and said something in a coded way."
Toobin dismissively responded:
Juanita Broaddrick, by the way, another matter investigated by Ken Starr, the alleged sexual misconduct of Bill Clinton with regard to Juanita Broaddrick, which he did not decide to bring any charges on. So, again, you know, you got to keep that in mind.
In 2000, Toobin published the book, A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President, in which he took a sympathetic view of Bill Clinton over the investigations into the then-President's ethical problems.
