During a discussion with Bloomberg Politics editor Mark Halperin on Tuesday’s NBC Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie touted how Hillary Clinton had “set the table” for her testimony before the Benghazi Committee on Thursday. Halperin proclaimed: “This appearance has been looming on her calendar and her staff’s calendar with dread, thinking this could be the worst day of the year for her. It could now be the best day.”
Halperin continued: “Republicans have so messed up setting up this hearing and what it's about, she could come out of that hearing even stronger than she came out of the debate.”
Fellow co-host Matt Lauer followed up: “And because she set the table and they’ve helped her in that this is a partisan political procedure, would you advise her to go in there and be combative and defiant, or would you tell her to stay above the fray?”
Halperion predicted: “I suspect she’ll come in trying to be above the fray, but the minute she’s challenged by one of these Republicans, she’ll hit them hard. And in the past when she's done that to congressional Republicans, she's won.”
In sharp contrast to that assessment, on Monday’s Today, correspondent Kristen Welker warned of potential pitfalls for Clinton: “...the reality is the stakes couldn't be higher for Hillary Clinton....[she] can't afford any missteps or to lose her temper. You'll recall she did that momentarily the last time she testified.”
Here is a transcript of the October 20 exchange:
7:08 AM ET
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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, faces a big day Thursday before the Benghazi Committee, but as well as she possibly can, it seems she has set the table for that appearance. Would you agree?
MARK HALPERIN: This appearance has been looming on her calendar and her staff’s calendar with dread, thinking this could be the worst day of the year for her. It could now be the best day. Republicans have so messed up setting up this hearing and what it's about, she could come out of that hearing even stronger than she came out of the debate.
MATT LAUER: And because she set the table and they’ve helped her in that this is a partisan political procedure, would you advise her to go in there and be combative and defiant, or would you tell her to stay above the fray?
HALPERIN: Matt, I think she’ll go in thinking, “I'm going to stay above the fray as long as I can,” but as we've seen with Hillary Clinton, in fact we saw it with Savannah at town hall, when she is challenged on these things, her instincts are to fight back hard. So I suspect she’ll come in trying to be above the fray, but the minute she’s challenged by one of these Republicans, she’ll hit them hard. And in the past when she's done that to congressional Republicans, she's won.
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