Politico reporters Glenn Thrush and Brianna Ehley wasted little time demonstrating bias and their willingness to mislead readers in a story with the more-revealing-than-intended headline, "The Inside story of Clinton's sick day." Both were on display right out of the gate, in the first paragraph of the story.
Here's their lede -- "Hillary Clinton never lost consciousness, and never stopped talking on her phone -- and never put anyone else in danger -- after her near swoon at a Sept. 11 memorial on Sunday in New York, according to accounts offered by several people close to the candidate."
Demonstrably false not just once but twice over -- Clinton wasn't on her phone when she appeared on the verge of collapse and was hastily lifted into a waiting SUV, as evident in the now-infamous video recorded by a bystander. Even if Clinton talked on the phone after her abrupt departure from the ceremony itself and before she got to the vehicle, and again after the vehicle left the scene for daughter Chelsea's "apartment" (more accurately, one of the most expensive condos in Manhattan), the gratuitous addition of "never" in that sentence renders it false.
Equally deceptive is the claim by Thrush and Ehley that what happened to Clinton constituted a "near swoon." As for context, they claim this took place at the Sept. 11 memorial. Perhaps so, but then there's the matter of the actual swoon that occurred when several handlers and Secret Service agents hustled Clinton into the vehicle, though not before the bystander recorded video while a complaint media was reliably elsewhere. Politico's reporters hope you'll believe the accounts "offered" by people "close" to Clinton instead of what you actually see in the damning footage.
Clinton "never put anyone else in danger," Politico tells us, its importance set off with dashes. Who is suggesting she did, aside from no one? In fairness, Thrush and Ehley could see something here that other people are missing. Clinton might have vomited all over a bystander, collapsed onto a baby carriage, or wandered into traffic. Fortunately these scenarios were avoided but only because she always puts The People first.
Then there's the too-chummy headline, promising the "inside story" (by potential future Clinton White House press flacks) about Hillary's "sick day." Seeing how Clinton practically coughed up a lung during a Labor Day rally in Ohio on Sept. 5, followed by her purported diagnosis of pneumonia on Sept. 9, the "near swoon" two days later, and aides saying she won't return to the campaign until Sept. 15 -- well, that's 10 days by my rough count and not a mere (cough, cough) "sick day." And remember, when liberals take one, it's to help out at phone banks and the polls and not indicative of genuine illness.
The flackery continues from Politico --
Clinton's pneumonia isn't severe, according to two people with direct knowledge of the candidate's condition, and she is expected to return to the campaign as early as this week.
Hmmm, "as early as this week" -- instead of the more concise and just as accurate (hence, preferable) "this week." Writing it that way ran the risk of engaging in journalism and not providing useful cover for a potential future boss in the White House.
It was just a matter of time before Thrush and Ehley got to Bill Clinton letting loose with a Freudian slip for the ages while trying to schmooze through an interview with CBS's Charlie Rose. Here's what Clinton actually said in response to a question from Rose --
ROSE: Look at that collapse. You wonder if it is not more serious than dehydration.
CLINTON: Well if it is it's a mystery to me and all of her doctors, 'cause frequently -- not frequently, I think -- rarely but on more than one occasion over the last many, many years -- the same sort of thing's happened to her when she got severely dehydrated.
Here's how Clinton was quoted by Politico, midsentence through what he actually stated --
Rarely, on more than one occasion, over the last many, many years, the same sort of thing's happened to her when she got severely dehydrated and she's worked like a demon, as you know, as secretary of state, as a senator, and in the years since.
Clearly the reporters at Politico are relying on the interview as deceptively edited by CBS News as their source. True, it all depends on how you define frequent rarity. Hard to believe that Trump or any other Republican would get such a pass in the editing booth at CBS, or over at Politico.
Later in the Politico story, Thrush and Ehley helpfully revisit Clinton's "near swoon" by reporting that it took place not at the memorial ceremony but at a nearby "pick-up area" where Clinton "was seen -- and filmed -- stumbling into her van in a near swoon." Stumble, swoon, whatever.
The story does shed light on the puzzling absence of Clinton's press pool when this incident occurred --
By the time her motorcade arrived at daughter Chelsea's apartment, she was feeling better -- and was given a big bottle of Gatorade. She didn't rest much while there, one of the sources said, but played with her grandchildren and made more phone calls. Clinton was ready to head back to her house in Chappaqua after about an hour at the apartment -- but she had to remain in place to wait for her traveling press pool -- which had been penned in at ground zero -- to arrive so they could witness her walk out to an SUV, under her own steam.
Reporters covering Clinton having been "penned in at ground zero," aka, held against their will. Add this to the growing list of Clinton felonies, not that the reporters put up much of a fight. How selfless indeed for Clinton to hold off leaving for Chappaqua until the reporters were released from captivity "so they could witness her walk out to an SUV," after which they were quickly placed back in their cages.
The Trump campaign can only hope for more such coverage of Clinton from a press corps in perpetual "near swoon" (accurate use of the term!) -- and that plenty of their stories are seen by voters still on the fence. There they may not remain by election day after too many examples of the media tipping the scale for yet another Democrat running for president.
