The opening panel on the Tuesday edition of MSNBC’s Hardball briefly derailed from its scheduled topic of Monday’s presidential debate when host Chris Matthews lost his mind in relentlessly screaming at The Blaze host and conservative author Dana Loesch to explain “[w]hat was it that you folks think was the evil” Hillary Clinton committed concerning Benghazi.
The interrogation by Matthews ensued when Loesch opined that she had hoped Donald Trump would have invoked any number of recent Clinton scandals: “He didn't even mention Benghazi last night. He didn’t mention the Clinton Foundation last night...I think character is on the line, but he doesn't even need to go all the way back to the '90s.”
Needless to say, this must have been a trigger warning for Matthews as he sighed and told Loesch to right then and there explain why “you folks” think Hillary did something evil concerning the 2012 terror attack: “Just one time here, what did Hillary Clinton do wrong or fail to do in the Benghazi episode? What was it that you folks think was the evil here?”
Loesch seemed befuddling at Matthews hurling the “you folks” claim at her and once Matthews clarified to formally mean “the critics of Hillary Clinton,” Loesch responded that along with Clinton not being “forthright” about her actions but also “she had Chris Stevens, who had been reaching out repeatedly, asking for security increases” (which even the liberal Politifact ruled as true).
“Okay, one of them — what's the heart of it? Because I have a hard time figuring out the heart of Benghazi. I assume it is dereliction of duty. They’ve accused her at the night he was threatened, that the fact that he was killed — that she didn't go to his aid, so what is the heart of it why you keep hitting on it? What is the heart of this charge,” Matthews screamed.
Loesch fired back that Clinton not providing Stevens with the security he needed was “a dereliction of duty” and resulted in the death of four people. Matthews lashed out to “tell me it now” what Clinton did specifically wrong on the night of and naturally prevented Loesch from mustering any more than a few phrases before being shut down:
LOESCH: There’s all — I am, now. You keep going, tell me now. I’m trying to.
MATTHEWS: Go for it.
LOESCH: Chris Stevens had the repeatedly requested increases in security. In fact, they had reached out —
MATTHEWS: I said that night.
LOESCH: — no, even before then.
MATTHEWS: No. I said that night. Tell me what she did to demonstrate her dereliction of duty.
LOESCH: You had all these other countries leaving and they were having fire sales on things like barricades and everything else. He wanted money just to get barricades and that wasn't cleared. So, I mean, that should have been brought up. Yes, I would have liked to see that.
MATTHEWS: But you don't have a point about her failure that night?
LOESCH: I think that lack of preparation is all about that night.
The full transcript of the exchange that aired on MSNBC’s Hardball from September 27 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
September 27, 2016
7:07 p.m. EasternDANA LOESCH: Oh, I think he needs to go after her policies. He didn't even mention Benghazi last night. He didn’t mention the Clinton Foundation last night. There were — I mean, if he wants to get into the personal, I think that's fine. I think character is on the line, but he doesn't even need to go all the way back to the '90s.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Just one time here, what did Hillary Clinton do wrong or fail to do in the Benghazi episode? What was it that you folks think was the evil here?
LOESCH: The — “us folks?” Meaning —
MATTHEWS: Well, the critics of Hillary Clinton on Benghazi. What is it exactly did she did wrong or failed to do.
LOESCH: She wasn't forthright with it. She wasn't forthright with it, Chris.
MATTHEWS: Wasn’t forthright
LOESCH: I mean, first off, she had Chris Stevens, who had been reaching out repeatedly, asking for security increases. We know this for a fact.
MATTHEWS: Alright, so that's the issue?
LOESCH: That's one of the issues, yes.
MATTHEWS: Okay, one of them — what's the heart of it? Because I have a hard time figuring out the heart of Benghazi. I assume it is dereliction of duty. They’ve accused her at the night he was threatened, that the fact that he was killed —
LOESCH: Right. I would think — I would think it’s a dereliction of duty.
MATTHEWS: that she didn't go to his aid, so what is the heart of it why you keep hitting on it? What is the heart of this charge?
LOESCH: I think that you nailed it just there. I think it's a dereliction of duty and there are four people who died.
MATTHEWS: And you have evidence that she failed to do her duty that night? She failed to try to save him. You have evidence of that?
LOESCH: And she failed to prepare for it. Yes.
MATTHEWS: You would know. You have evidence she failed to try to save him. Do you have evidence? You know? Do you have evidence? I'm looking for it. Where is it?
LOESCH: There was information — Chris, there was information that came forward —
MATTHEWS: What? Tell me it. Now!
LOESCH: There’s all — I am, now. You keep going, tell me now. I’m trying to.
MATTHEWS: Go for it.
LOESCH: Chris Stevens had the repeatedly requested increases in security. In fact, they had reached out —
MATTHEWS: I said that night.
LOESCH: — no, even before then.
MATTHEWS: No. I said that night. Tell me what she did to demonstrate her dereliction of duty.
LOESCH: You had all these other countries leaving and they were having fire sales on things like barricades and everything else. He wanted money just to get barricades and that wasn't cleared. So, I mean, that should have been brought up. Yes, I would have liked to see that.
MATTHEWS: But you don't have a point about her failure that night?
LOESCH: I think that lack of preparation is all about that night.
MATTHEWS: Alright, we’ll keep going.
LOESCH: I think you'd agree with me.
