Helpful ABC: ‘Clinton Wants Nothing More Than to Change the Subject’

July 7th, 2016 11:41 AM

The journalists at Good Morning America on Thursday were eager to help Hillary Clinton turn the page and move on from the damaging e-mail server scandal. In contrast to the reporters and CBS and NBC, ABC’s Cecilia Vega simply parroted Clinton talking points: “Clinton's campaign calling the grilling 'yet another taxpayer funded sham of an inquiry to try to hurt Hillary Clinton politically.'” 

Rather than dig deeper into the fact that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee sent and received classified information, the journalist regurgitated, “A year-long investigation into those e-mails that threatened her bid for the White House is finally over, and now Hillary Clinton wants nothing more than to change the subject.” Vega then pivoted, “Clinton now trying to get back to business on the campaign trail, taunting Donald Trump on his own turf.” 

In a later news brief, Amy Robach managed to quickly summerize the GOP’s position, saying, “A year-long investigation into those e-mails that threatened her bid for the White House is finally over, and now Hillary Clinton wants nothing more than to change the subject.”

On Wednesday, ABC’s GMA hyped “Clinton allies” saying that on Election Day “no one” will recall the FBI probe. 

In contrast, the Today show on Friday talked to Congressman Jason Chaffetz. Co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist both offered tough questions, wondering about why Clinton wasn’t prosecuted: 

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: There are allegations particularly by Donald Trump that this is a rigged system, that Hillary Clinton got preferential treatment by the federal government, do you suspect that? Do you agree with that? 

....

WILLIE GEIST: Mr. Chairman, you said the FBI's recommendation, quoting, “surprising and confusing.” Based on the facts you heard the other day, do you believe Hillary Clinton committed a criminal act? 

Over on CBS This Morning, Jan Crawford noted that “House Republicans went on the offensive.” Crawford spun Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s closing of the case as not “stopping GOP leadership who want Clinton's interview with the FBI made public to show the many inconsistencies in her statements.” 

[Thanks to the MRC’s Mike Ciandella and Remso Martinez for transcript assistance.] 

A transcript of the GMA segment is below: 

GMA

07/07/16
7:05:

ROBIN ROBERTS: To the race for the White House now. Hillary Clinton going after Donald Trump and one -- in front of one of his closed Atlantic City casinos, as attorney general Loretta Lynch says there will be no criminal charges in the Clinton e-mail investigation. ABC's Cecilia Vega is here with more on all that. Good morning, Cecilia. 

CECILIA VEGA: Robin, good morning. A year-long investigation into those e-mails that threatened her bid for the White House is finally over, and now Hillary Clinton wants nothing more than to change the subject. This morning the investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails is officially closed. Attorney General Loretta Lynch accepting the FBI's recommendation to not charge Clinton and her aides over that private server. But the political fallout, not ending any time soon. 

Donald Trump overnight still hitting hard. 

DONALD TRUMP: “Hillary Clinton. I said bad judgment, she's incompetent, okay? She’s incompetent. The only good thing she's ever done is get out of trouble when anybody else would have been in jail by now. 

VEGA: And that's not all. House speaker Paul Ryan says Clinton should no longer have access to classified intelligence. 

PAUL RYAN: There are a lot of questions that have to be answered. 

VEGA: And today, FBI director James Comey heads to Capitol Hill to testify about that e-mail probe. Clinton's campaign calling the grilling yet another taxpayer funded sham of an inquiry to try to hurt Hillary Clinton politically. 

Clinton now trying to get back to business on the campaign trail, taunting Donald Trump on his own turf. 

HILLARY CLINTON: What he did for his businesses and his workers is nothing to brag about. In fact, it's shameful. 

VEGA: Showing up in Atlantic City right outside his shuttered trump plaza casino. 

CLINTON: He got rich and got out and he thinks that's something to be proud of. 

VEGA: Trump firing right back. 

TRUMP: Hillary with teleprompters every single time, Donald Trump is a bad person. He hurt the little people. He didn't. Made a lot of money. 

VEGA: And this morning a big endorsement is in the works for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders is now in talks with Clinton's campaign about when and where, George, it could come as soon as next week. 

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: She adopted his college tuition plan, okay. Cecilia, thanks.

Tell the Truth 2016