Appearing on Wednesday’s NBC Today, Meet the Press host Chuck Todd delighted in Hillary Clinton refusing to admit any wrongdoing in the State Department e-mail scandal: “She showed no remorse, no regret....Very defiant. Reminded me of the old days. She almost – it’s almost as if she's enjoying the House Republicans attacking her.”
Co-host Matt Lauer touted how Clinton blamed conservatives for Americans not trusting her: “And she said this, that it was the result of quote, ‘unfounded attacks and accusations,’ quote, ‘largely fomented by the right.’ And she went on to say, ‘This has been a theme that has been used against me and my husband for many, many years.’”
Again Todd applauded her obstinance: “Very defiant. Doesn't accept the premise at all. You know, here is a mountain of evidence that over the years there is one hurdle for the Clintons...this idea they’re not always straightforward....She doesn't want to accept the premise all. This is the whole MO, don't give an inch.”
Lauer used the opportunity to recall a 1998 interview he conducted with the then-First Lady and played a soundbite of an infamous accusation she made in that exchange: “The great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it, is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president.”
Wondering about her attempt to use the same tactic in 2015, Lauer asked: “Is it a shrewd comment to galvanize Democrats or might it backfire?” Todd proclaimed: “Look, it’s not backfired yet. And Democrats haven't lost trust in her....If you're her, why change? And you know what? This is her experience. You know, so you put yourself in her shoes, she truly believes this, whether the evidence is there to back her up or not.”
Prior to the segment with Todd, Lauer hailed Clinton’s interview as a “candid” exchange.
After thoroughly defending Clinton’s refusal to accept responsibility for her scandals, Lauer and Todd proceeded to promote her attacks on the GOP. Lauer noted: “Mrs. Clinton...tried to tie all Republicans and the other candidates on the Republican side to Donald Trump. Did she do it successfully?”
Todd replied: “I think she did. I thought she was very prepared on this answer. You know, you could tell what her goal of the interview was. The minute she was asked about Trump, it was to pivot, ‘Well, you know what? All the Republicans seem to share his point of view on immigration.’”
Lauer followed up: “How worried are Republicans about the effect of Donald Trump's comments on the Hispanic vote?” Todd warned:
Right now they’re all worried about Trump's impact. But about half the people I talked to assume Trump will burn himself out....There’s another chunk of the party, though, that is concerned that if he's on that debate stage even one time, even making one debate, that what Hillary Clinton did in this interview, using Trump to lump all of the Republican Party on immigration, that that's what the Democrats will effectively do a year from now. And all you have to do is say “Trump.” They did it in ‘12 with Todd Akin. They didn’t have to say much, what Todd Akin meant was an impact on women voters and on reproductive rights. They think if they just put up Donald Trump's picture, it’ll just send the message to Latinos without saying anything else.
