According to Gayle King, no one at the party she was at on Wednesday night cares about Hillary Clinton’s growing e-mail scandal. Talking to John Dickerson, the CBS This Morning co-host tried to minimize the damage with anecdotal evidence: “Put it in perspective. How big a deal is this, really? I was at an event last night and both Democrats and Republicans were quoting Bernie Sanders saying, ‘I'm sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.’"
So, the Republicans King socializes with don’t care that Clinton allegedly violated State Department rules? Co-host Charlie Rose tried to offer reason, pointing out in regard to Sanders's famous comment: “That was a long time ago. He's since changed some of that.” King shot back: “He has, but the people at this party last night haven't.”
CBS political director John Dickerson tried to walk a tightrope of accepting King’s dismissal and also of noting the scandal’s importance. He concluded, “Is this going to improve anybody's wages? Is this going to improve anybody's wages, help someone get into college and not be in debt for the rest of their life? No, but it's about judgment and character. And we look at presidents that way.”
Overall, the networks offered tough coverage on Thursday about the State Department’s report that Clinton violated the rules. ABC, NBC and CBS called it “scathing” and “stark.” However, clearly, the Democrat still has a friend in Gayle King.
A partial transcript of the segment is below:
CBS TM
5/26/168:03
JOHN DICKERSON: The first answer from the Clinton campaign here was that she had been within the spirit and letter of the law. Creating her own outside server was not in the spirit or letter of the law.
GAYLE KING: So, John, put it in perspective. How big a deal is this, really? I was at an event last night and both Democrats and Republicans were quoting Bernie Sanders saying, “I'm sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.”
CHARLIE ROSE: But that was a long time ago. He's since changed some of that.
KING: He has, but the people at this party last night haven’t.
DICKERSON: Is this going to improve anybody's wages? Is this going to improve anybody's wages, help someone get into college and not be in debt for the rest of their life? No, but it's about judgment and character. And we look at presidents that way. And the challenge for Secretary Clinton is in the answers, are they going to raise new questions? In other words, when she says it was allowed and it was fine and I've been transparent and you have an Inspector General, not just a political opponent, but an Inspector General saying the opposite thing, people get a fresh, realtime test of whether the candidate is shooting straight with them, and that's a challenge for any candidate.
ROSE: And you have this. When you have something that is a controversy, and it feeds to misgivings about you, that you. IE, that you don't play fair or get away with things other people don't get away with, it's damaging.
DICKERSON: That's right. It falls into a caricature or characterization of you and gives fresh evidence of a critique. That’s a problem. Because it's not something that happened in the past. It's happening in front of people as they watch and as they make evaluations about you.
NORAH O’DONNELL: And to that point — to that point —
KING: She says it won’t effect her campaign. Do you think it will? Do you think it will effect her campaign?
DICKERSON: I think it already has. And she's got to get out from under these questions about her truthfulness and honesty, and this gives more fresh opportunities for her and her campaign to say things that are at odds with official responses.
