Appearing on Friday’s NBC Today, Bloomberg Politics managing editor John Heilemann saw a rapidly closing window for Joe Biden to enter the presidential race: “...if he's making a calculation on the political landscape, it's more forbidding now than it was a month ago. You've got Hillary Clinton performing well at this debate, the Benghazi Committee now kind of delegitimized. She's teed up to have a great day next week, where it could have been a bad – a moment of peril.”
After Heilemann mentioned Benghazi, co-host Matt Lauer reported that: “one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, Huma Abedin, could face an intense line of questioning later today when she goes before that House committee.” He turned to correspondent Kristen Welker, who noted that Abedin “will be in the hot seat,” but also touted Clinton campaign hopes of being able to “turn the page” on the Democratic front-runner’s scandals:
Now the campaign has gotten a bit of a lifeline, as you guys were just talking about, in recent days after the House Majority Leader suggested the committee was aimed at dragging down Clinton's poll numbers and after a former investigator with the committee suggested it had turned into a political witch-hunt. Chairman Trey Gowdy denies that politics are involved, but the Clinton campaign has used the allegations to try to discredit the committee. Clinton is hoping that once she testifies next week she can turn the page on the questions about Benghazi and maybe even her e-mails.
Following Welker’s report, Lauer asked Heilemann: “As part of this committee's investigation, we all learned about the e-mail problems for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders says America is sick and tired of hearing about this. Is he right or is there more there?”
Heilemann was hesitant to declare the controversy over:
Well, look, it's unclear. In the end, the FBI is investigating the server. There still could be legal and political jeopardy for Hillary Clinton. There’s no doubt that in the Democratic Party people don't care very much about this. In the broader country, Hillary Clinton's numbers on the questions of whether she's considered honest and trustworthy have been in a state of pretty serious decline for the last six months and it's hard not to think that the e-mail thing has something to do with that, so it's not a non-issue. Certainly I think in the Democratic primary, not a big issue, and Bernie Sanders, when he says that, got a rousing cheer in that debate hall and probably around the country among hardcore Democrats.
Friday’s CBS This Morning also offered a full report on Abedin’s upcoming testimony before the Benghazi Committee. Co-host Gayle King introduced the story: “The House committee investigating the deadly 2012 Benghazi attack interviews Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide and confidante Huma Abedin this morning....Hillary Clinton will testify herself. Her campaign spokesman says the investigation has zero credibility.”
Correspondent Nancy Cordes highlighted how “Clinton has got bolder about criticizing the committee ever since House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy bragged about the investigation was hurting her in the polls.” Cordes proclaimed: “She got some unexpected backup this week from a Republican congressman, New York's Richard Hanna...” A soundbite ran of Hanna arguing: “This may not be politically correct, but I think there was a big part of this investigation that was designed to go after people and an individual, Hillary Clinton.”
ABC’s Good Morning America made no mention of Abedin getting set to testify on the scandal.
Here is a portion of Heilemann’s appearance on the October 16 Today:
7:10 AM ET
(...)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Let's talk about the Democrats. Our SurveyMonkey poll shows Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead, really opening it up between Sanders. And Biden, not declared, but did not fare as well. Ted Kaufman, one of his closest advisers, is sending out this letter to Biden alumni, as Peter reported, basically hinting, “You know, we still may get into this thing,” but has his moment passed? Can he still get in?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Biden Closer to Running?; Report: Fmr. Staffers Told to Stay in Close Contact]
JOHN HEILEMANN: Well, look, I've engaged in attempts to report on and read the mind of Joe Biden as much as anybody in the course of the last few months. I'm done with that. The Vice President is now – if he's making a calculation on the political landscape, it's more forbidding now than it was a month ago. You've got Hillary Clinton performing well at this debate, the Benghazi Committee now kind of delegitimized. She's teed up to have a great day next week, where it could have been a bad – a moment of peril. But I don't think that's how Biden’s now thinking about this. He's not making political rational calculations. This is about – this is the last big political decision of his life and he's doing the ultimate gut check now and he’ll decide on the basis of that.
GUTHRIE: Alright, stand-
MATT LAUER: You mentioned, yeah, the Benghazi Committee, so stand by for one second. Because meantime, one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, Huma Abedin, could face an intense line of questioning later today when she goes before that House committee. NBC's Kristen Welker has more from Washington. Kristen, good morning to you.
KRISTEN WELKER: Matt, that's right, good morning to you. Usually it is Secretary Clinton under a microscope, but today her closest and longest serving aide, Huma Abedin, will be in the hot seat. Abedin will testify behind closed doors before the congressional committee investigating the 2001 [sic] attack against the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
Now, Abedin was Clinton's deputy chief of staff at the State Department and was considered her body woman during the 2008 campaign. The two are so close that Clinton has referred to Abedin as her second daughter. Abedin is the latest of several Clinton aides to appear before the committee and it comes just six days before the former Secretary of State will give her own testimony.
Now the campaign has gotten a bit of a lifeline, as you guys were just talking about, in recent days after the House Majority Leader suggested the committee was aimed at dragging down Clinton's poll numbers and after a former investigator with the committee suggested it had turned into a political witch-hunt. Chairman Trey Gowdy denies that politics are involved, but the Clinton campaign has used the allegations to try to discredit the committee. Clinton is hoping that once she testifies next week she can turn the page on the questions about Benghazi and maybe even her e-mails. Matt, Savannah?
LAUER: Alright, Kristen Welker. Kristen, thank you very much. Let me pick up where Kristen just left off. As part of this committee's investigation, we all learned about the e-mail problems for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders says America is sick and tired of hearing about this. Is he right or is there more there?
HEILEMANN: Well, look, it's unclear. In the end, the FBI is investigating the server. There still could be legal and political jeopardy for Hillary Clinton. There’s no doubt that in the Democratic Party people don't care very much about this. In the broader country, Hillary Clinton's numbers on the questions of whether she's considered honest and trustworthy have been in a state of pretty serious decline for the last six months and it's hard not to think that the e-mail thing has something to do with that, so it's not a non-issue. Certainly I think in the Democratic primary, not a big issue, and Bernie Sanders, when he says that, got a rousing cheer in that debate hall and probably around the country among hardcore Democrats.
(...)
