Thursday on CNN's Cuomo Prime Time, former Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta was invited by host Chris Cuomo to talk about the Inspector General’s Report released earlier that day. Podesta took the opportunity to argue that Hillary Clinton was the real victim.
In the fast-paced interview, Cuomo “TAKES ON JOHN PODESTA,” or so the chyron claimed. What really happened was Cuomo delivered a bunch of softball questions about the investigation into Clinton’s private email server. The first of these questions was if Podesta believed there was a "population" in the FBI that "didn’t like Clinton." Podesta responded:
“I absolutely think that's true. And I think that one of the things I heard from people who attended the House briefing today is that the matter of who was leaking out of the FBI field office, you know, Rudy Giuliani kept going on television saying I've heard from my sources in the FBI, da, da, da -- that investigation is still ongoing with the inspector general. So, we'll see where it lands at the end of the day. But, you know, the truth is, the facts are that he only hurt one candidate by reopening and then rapidly saying there was nothing there and closing -- the email investigation on October 28th, ten days before the election, he absolutely damaged Hillary Clinton.”
Podesta continued on to complain that the liberal media scrutinized the private email server, as well as the destruction of several personal devices by Clinton aides. Cuomo backed up his claim with “no question.”
The former campaign chair finished his interview with one last statement about the unfair treatment of Hillary Clinton in 2016, despite earlier inferring he didn’t “want to relitigate 2016”:
“I think that the scrutiny she came under, the attack she came under by the House Republicans, I think, were unwarranted based on what was a mistake of judgment.”
Read the transcript from the June 14 interview below:
CNN's Cuomo Prime Time
6/15/2018
9:47:50 PM EST
CHRIS CUOMO: The big stick that Republicans and certainly Trump sympathizers are swinging is, look at those texts of at least five different agents/attorneys, you know, staff members. Look how much they didn't like Trump. Let me ask you something, do you think there was an equal or greater population in the bureau that didn't like Clinton?
JOHN PODESTA: I absolutely think that's true. And I think that one of the things I heard from people who attended the House briefing today is that the matter of who was leaking out of the FBI field office, you know, Rudy Giuliani kept going on television saying I've heard from my sources in the FBI, da, da, da -- that investigation is still ongoing with the inspector general. So, we'll see where it lands at the end of the day. But, you know, the truth is, the facts are that he only hurt one candidate by reopening and then rapidly saying there was nothing there and closing --
CUOMO: Right.
PODESTA: -- the e-mail investigation on October 28th, ten days before the election, he absolutely damaged Hillary Clinton. He kept under wraps the fact that he had opened an investigation of the Russian engagement and the Russian involvement with the Trump campaign. That didn't come out until after the election. He says he did that because that was consistent with policy and practice, but why the double standard, Chris? I think he's never really sufficiently answered that.
CUOMO: Look, no, I get that's something that's going to be chewed over here. He's got his answers. But you also have look in terms of the political liability here and where blame lies. You got to look at Hillary Clinton as well. Do you not, John? I mean, the tweet that she put out today: But my e-mails. Now, this is a reference to the fact that the I.G. found that Comey was also using a personal Gmail account. He didn't have his own server, but this tactic by Hillary Clinton of taking a shot at them -- do you think that was the right move for her --
PODESTA: Oh, look --
CUOMO: -- given that decisions she made and didn't make got her in this situation in the first place?
PODESTA: Look, she shouldn't have used a private e-mail system. I think she's said that. She obviously paid an enormous price for doing so. I think it was an innocent --
CUOMO: Having people destroy the devices and, you know, not exactly complying the way that she --
(CROSSTALK)
PODESTA: No, come on. You want to relitigate the 2016?
CUOMO: No, but I just want to put it out there as an element of people's scrutiny.
PODESTA: Well, I think the -- it was well-scrutinized. You have to agree with that. It was the subject of intense look by the -- by the mainstream media, by a more than --
CUOMO: No question.
PODESTA: -- a more than a yearlong investigation by the FBI. And, you know -- and I think it was a mistake to have done that. But I think it was -- it was in the end of the day, there were no crimes. Mr. Horowitz confirmed that today, saying it was consistent with the practice of the Department of Justice. It wasn't just Mr. Comey, but Mr. Horowitz confirmed that in I.G.'s report today. He likened it to the way the Justice Department handled Alberto Gonzalez's situation in 2008.
CUOMO: Yes, I read that.
PODESTA: And, you know, I think that the scrutiny she came under, the attack she came under by the House Republicans, I think, were unwarranted based on what was a mistake of judgment.
CUOMO: John Podesta, I appreciate you giving me your take on this. There was a lot to go through. More will come out of it. You're always welcome on the show to make the case.
PODESTA: Thanks, Chris.
