If you have been watching MSNBC over the past three years, you would find host after host and guest after guest arguing that President Trump has nothing to complain about with all the investigations into alleged his wrongdoings, after all nobody is above the law. Nobody, that is except for Hillary Clinton or any of her former aides. Any investigation into her is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a distraction from what really matters: Trump's misdeeds.
On Monday's MSNBC Live host Hallie Jackson invited Greg Jaffe, co-author of the Washington Post story that broke the news that the State Department is intensifying its investigation into Clinton's aides as part of the investigation into her e-mails, and former Obama State Department official and managing editor of Time magazine, Richard Stengel to talk about the story.
The segment should not have been that controversial as Jaffe acknowledged what the original article stated, "The Trump administration and State Department's line is that they've been at this for three and a half years, that there were millions of emails that are just getting through them all." Standard operating procedure does not make for exciting TV, though, so Jackson turned to Stengel, asking for his thoughts on Clinton comments where she declared that "The president is a corrupt human tornado."
The former Obama official declared, "Here's what I would say about the e-mails. It's a ridiculous distraction. It's a colossal waste of taxpayer money." He then said that he spoke to "someone" on Sunday night that said the State Department had "gone through all of them" before Trump took office and that "All of these officials who are being investigated were sending e-mails in good faith and it was only because Secretary Clinton was using a private server that they're even being looked at." He reiterated, "Americans should protest this. It's a colossal waste of their taxpayer dollars."
Jackson again went to Jeffe, reporting the State Department's take on the issue, "essentially and I'm paraphrasing, we would be doing this no matter who was in the Oval Office, right? Can you explain some of that there?" Jeffe responded that it was hard to explain, but it "strikes me as like a diplomatic stop and frisk kind of operation. Just kind of low-level harassment is a little bit what it feels like to the people who are going through it." All of a sudden, routine investigations are harassment again, wonder what changed?
Stengel finished by re-emphasizing his previous point, "there are probably 1,000 things that the State Department should be doing. Stengel, who admitted to not caring about national security during his days at Time, then accused the State Department of doing this to distract, "from all of the accusations being made, not only about Secretary Pompeo but the State Department assisting Donald Trump black mailing an ally into getting political dirt on his opponent."
All of a sudden, routine investigations are harassment and a waste of money again, wonder what changed?
Here is a transcript for the September 30 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson
10:42
HALLIE JACKSON: Let's turn to one of the reporters who joke that story, Greg Jaffe, national security correspondent at the "Washington Post." I also want to bring in former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Richard Stengel, he’s also the former managing editor of Time Magazine, thanks to you both. Greg, to you, why now?
GREG JAFFE: The Trump Administration and State Department's line is that they've been at this for three and a half years, that there were millions of emails that are just getting through them all. As to why now, it's really hard. I don't think we quite know and that’s as you quoted Assistant Secretary Feltman, that's part of why it's suspicious to him that we just don't know.
JACKSON: Rick, Hillary Clinton just as we actually were in the last commercial break, I think, tweeted about this. You saw her response, part of her discussion on Sunday morning, but she said, and I don't have it in front of me, but we’re going to pull it up here “The president is a corrupt human tornado.” Not a surprising response to you, from her I assume, right?
RICHARD STENGEL: I think he'll regard that as a compliment, probably, Hallie. Here's what I would say about the emails. It's a ridiculous distraction. It's a colossal waste of taxpayer money. I spoke to someone last night, a career person in the State Department who spent two years examining Secretary Clinton's email. They had gone through all of them and they had been classified and reclassified before the Trump Administration came in. It was all the job that the diplomatic security needed to do to let those people know. But I just want to make one point about this. All of these officials who are being investigated were sending e-mails in good faith and it was only because Secretary Clinton was using a private server that they're even being looked at. The other thing that people don't realize that Greg certainly knows, is that there was a high side and a low side in the State Department e-mail system. These were all e-mails on the low unclassified side. It's ridiculous that they would be reclassified as classified. Americans should protest this. It's a colossal waste of their taxpayer dollars.
JACKSON: And Greg, I want to go back to you and be clear for our viewers. Greg, you're the reporter who worked on this story, Rick you’re on with us because you know the State Department well as an analyst voice. So, Greg I don’t want your opinion on this and I know you won’t give it anyway and I appreciate that, I want to know the facts of what you found out, because it's interesting that the State Department said, I believe to you, essentially and I'm paraphrasing, we would be doing this no matter who was in the oval office, right? Can you explain some of that there?
JAFFE: It is hard to explain. You know, these emails on their face just having looked at some of the emails that are being reclassified, they don't look to me to include sensitive stuff. So in some ways this almost strikes me as like a diplomatic stop and frisk kind of operation. Just kind of low-level harassment is a little bit what it feels like to the people who are going through it and having looked at the emails, I can understand why they feel that way.
JACKSON: Rick, The "Washington Post" reports that Republicans like Senator Grassley, as Greg notes, has been pressing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to complete this ongoing review. As you can see from some of the graphics that we have up. But "The New York Times" notes and you talk about Pompeo's role, this he may actually be closer to this. He was among those who aggressively questioned Clinton during the Benghazi hearings. How do you see this role, in some of this, Rick.
STENGEL: I don’t know and I wouldn't ascribe something to him that I have no knowledge of. I’d simply say there are probably 1,000 things that the State Department should be doing before this. This certainly seems like a distraction from all of the accusations being made, not only about Secretary Pompeo but the State Department assisting Donald Trump black mailing an ally into getting political dirt on his opponent. It's kind of a pathetic distraction for that but maybe that’s what it is. That's my opinion, by the way Hallie, that's not the facts that Greg knows about.
