In a heated exchange during special Fox News election coverage Tuesday night, co-anchor Megyn Kelly pressed Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Hillary Clinton possibly being indicted over the ongoing e-mail scandal: “...yes, it’s gotten a little vulgar on the GOP side, but no one's facing the threat of indictment.”
Schultz replied: “There's no one facing the threat of indictment on our side either, Megyn.” Kelly pushed back: “There's an open DOJ and FBI investigation into Mrs. Clinton right now.” Schultz lectured: “Let's not be melodramatic.” Kelly demanded: “How is that melodramatic? Those are the facts.”
Schultz ranted: “Well, predicting that there's someone who is facing indictment is definitely melodramatic.” Kelly corrected her: “There was no prediction. There was a statement that someone – that there's no one on the GOP side who's under threat of indictment. That's what the Republicans say on this.”
Schultz desperately tried to deflect from the scandal plaguing the likely Democratic nominee by attacking GOP frontrunner Donald Trump as “a whirling dervish of extremism” who “will finish off the Republican Party.”
Kelly reiterated:
Even if that is true, alright, even if all of that is true, that there's vulgarity and so on and what you said, no one is investigating Donald Trump for a crime. No one's even suggesting he may be guilty of a felony. And that is the issue that, you tell me, we appear to be seeing in some of these exit polls when the Democrats – this isn’t even opening it up to the general election – the Democrats are asked whether they think that the Democratic frontrunner is an honest person.
The exchange was prompted when Schultz tried to scold Republicans: “I mean, really, we need to make sure that the Republicans at their next debate put a parental advisory warning on the screen before it starts because they certainly aren't talking about the issues that are important to the American people and they're being pretty vulgar in the process.”
Here is a transcript of the March 8 segment:
10:25 PM ET
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DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I mean, really, we need to make sure that the Republicans at their next debate put a parental advisory warning on the screen before it starts because they certainly aren't talking about the issues that are important to the American people and they're being pretty vulgar in the process.
MEGYN KELLY: You know what the response to that on the other side is, which is, yes, it’s gotten a little vulgar on the GOP side, but no one's facing the threat of indictment.
SCHULTZ: There's no one facing the threat of indictment on our side either, Megyn. There are two candidates –
KELLY: There's an open DOJ and FBI investigation into Mrs. Clinton right now.
SCHULTZ: Right. Let's not be melodramatic. We have two candidates –
KELLY: How is that melodramatic? Those are the facts.
SCHULTZ: Well, predicting that there's someone who is facing indictment is definitely melodramatic –
KELLY: There was no prediction. There was a statement that someone – that there's no one on the GOP side who's under threat of indictment. That's what the Republicans say on this.
SCHULTZ: No, no. Instead you have the Republican Party who is being led right now by their frontrunner who has a multi-bankrupted, you know, absolutely outrageous, ridiculous position. That is guy who has been alienating and has become a whirling dervish of extremism that the entire Republican Party that has been involved in the Republican Party for many years is absolutely flipping out over the possibility of him being the nominee because they know that he will finish off the Republican Party. And that's – those are the facts.
KELLY: Even if that is true, alright, even if all of that is true, that there's vulgarity and so on and what you said, no one...
SCHULTZ: Well, it certainly is true.
KELLY: ...is investigating Donald Trump for a crime. No one's even suggesting he may be guilty of a felony. And that is the issue that, you tell me, we appear to be seeing in some of these exit polls when the Democrats – this isn’t even opening it up to the general election – the Democrats are asked whether they think that the Democratic frontrunner is an honest person.
(...)
