On Friday's Legal View, CNN's Ashleigh Banfield did her best to downplay Hillary Clinton's ongoing e-mail scandal. Banfield asked Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman if Bernie Sanders would bring up the issue at the upcoming Democratic presidential debate. When Zimmerman claimed that "any Democrat who resorts to reciting Republican talking points is going to hurt themselves," the anchor replied, "So...you don't think he's ever going to touch the e-mail scandal – or, it's not even a scandal. It's really a controversy. But 'scandal' is the Republicans' word for it. So far, no one has determined there's any scandal there." [video below]
Banfield turned to Zimmerman, a fundraiser for Clinton during her 2008 presidential campaign; and Senator Sanders's senior media advisor, Tad Devine, for a panel discussion on the Democratic candidate's preparations for the debate, which will air on CNN on October 13. Midway through the segment, she asked Zimmerman, "You've got to admit, Robert, that the Republicans are delivering any script that Bernie Sanders may need to go after Clinton. What's her ammo against Bernie Sanders?" The strategist's reply set up the anchor's claim about the e-mail issue:
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD: But you've got to – you've got to admit, Robert, that the Republicans are delivering any script that – that Bernie Sanders may need to go after [Hillary] Clinton. What's her ammo against Bernie Sanders?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Look, here's the deal: any Democrat who resorts to reciting Republican talking points is going to hurt themselves amongst the grassroots-
BANFIELD: So you're saying you don't think he's ever going to touch the e-mail scandal – or, it's not even a scandal-
ZIMMERMAN: It's not even a-
BANFIELD: It's really a controversy. But 'scandal' is the Republicans' word for it-
ZIMMERMAN: Yeah-
BANFIELD: So far, no one has determined there's any scandal there.
ZIMMERMAN: Of course not! And I think Senator Sanders is too fine a person to engage in reciting Republican talking points like that. But there will be debates around issues; debates around policy; and it's going to be pretty exciting. This is going to be an historic debate, because CNN's present – really, bringing the Democrats to the nation for the first time.
