All three morning shows on Monday made sure to highlight Hillary Clinton’s latest attacks on Donald Trump, but only CBS This Morning bothered to note the Democrat’s falsehood about the FBI’s investigation into her e-mails. While talking to Fox’s Chris Wallace, Clinton rebutted assertions that the FBI called her dishonest: “That's not what I heard director Comey say. Director Comey said that my answers were truthful and what I said is consistent with what I have told the American people.”
CBS reporter Nancy Cordes explained that the Washington Post’s fact checker gave her four Pinocchios for this statement. Cordes added, “The Post called that highly misleading because the FBI director only said that Clinton's comments to his investigations were truthful while he acknowledged some of her public assertions were not.”
Despite four hours of air time on NBC’s Today and two hours on ABC’s Good Morning America, neither network bothered to cover this angle.
In The Washington Post, writer Glenn Kessler concluded:
As we have seen repeatedly in Clinton’s explanations of the email controversy, she relies on excessively technical and legalistic answers to explain her actions. While Comey did say there was no evidence she lied to the FBI, that is not the same as saying she told the truth to the American public — which was the point of Wallace’s question. Comey has repeatedly not taken a stand on her public statements.
And although Comey did say many emails were retroactively classified, he also said that there were some emails that were already classified that should not have been sent on an unclassified, private server. That’s the uncomfortable truth that Clinton has trouble admitting.
A transcript of the CBS segment is below:
CBS This Morning
8/1/16
7:06:43 to 7:08:09
1 minute and 26 secondsGAYLE KING: Hillary Clinton is sharpening her her attacks on Donald Trump today. They are crisscrossing the swing states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The three day campaign tour covered nine cities and more than 900 miles. Pennsylvania and Ohio are among 11 key states. In the latest CBS News battleground tracker, that poll shows that Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 43 to 41 percent across the swing states. Nancy Cordes is in Washington with more on that. Nancy, good morning.
NANCY CORDES: Good morning. And it won't surprise you, Gayle, to hear that the Khan controversy was a big topic for Clinton this weekend, too. She argued Trump has demeaned so many people at this point it's hard to know where the bottom is.
HILLARY CLINTON: Donald Trump is not a normal presidential candidate. Somebody who attacks everybody has something missing.
CORDES: Campaigning in Pennsylvania and Ohio, Clinton said Trump is so unfit for office, Republicans should walk away.CLINTON: I think this is a time to pick country over party.
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CORDES: Their first joint bus tour took Clinton and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine through traditionally Republican territory.
TIM KAINE: I like inventors, that’s great. But we got to love workers as much or more.
CORDES: They repeatedly called Trump out for outsourcing.
CLINTON: Why does he make suits in Mexico instead of Ohio? He says he can't find any American workers. Shame on you, Donald Trump! Shame on you!
KAINE: Does anybody here believe one word of what he says? Not one word, folks!
CORDES: But the Washington Post had trouble believing Clinton, Sunday, giving her four Pinocchios for this answer on her e-mails.
CHRIS WALLACE: After a long investigation, FBI Director James Comey said none of those things that you told the American public were true.
CLINTON: Chris, that's not what I heard director Comey say. Director Comey said that my answers were truthful and what I said is consistent with what I have told the American people.
CORDES: The Post called that highly misleading because the FBI director only said that Clinton's comments to his investigations were truthful while he acknowledged some of her public assertions were not.
