The rollout of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) presidential campaign was immediately mired by serious reports sourced from former staffers that claimed the Senator was an abusive boss. When ABC’s Good Morning America questioned her on Monday, they avoided all the terrible details choosing instead to lob softball questions about her being a “tough boss”. But during Tuesday’s Special Report, Fox News anchor Bret Baier pressed her on whether she had ever “throw[n] a binder at anybody”.
While many in the liberal media have given the details of the allegations a wide berth, Baier wasn’t afraid to confront Klobuchar with them:
But you also point others who say they liked working with you. Some of the stories are pretty specific though. Here is a – Yahoo! [report] “a number of former staffers – both male and female describing a workplace environment governed by fear and dread, one in which Klobuchar treated her Capitol Hill staffers with cruelty and humiliation, while fixating on seemingly minor issues.” The Huffington Post says that Senator Reid rebuked you for mistreatment of your staff in 2015. Is that true?
In contrast, during a Monday night interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Klobuchar was able to avoid the details as well.
“And the other side of the scrutiny that you're getting, as you’ve decided to run, is that there has been a flurry of stories, particularly in the Huffington Post and BuzzFeed, saying that you are an exceedingly tough boss. Maybe too tough,” Maddow said. “That has resulted in too much turnover in your Senate office and your temperament with your own staff members is beyond demanding. How do you feel about those stories?”
To Maddow’s credit, she did cite where the reports were from so viewers could go see the details for themselves, and she did use more serious language to describe the allegations than ABC did.
Alluding to one incident reported by BuzzFeed, Baier asked: “Ever throw a binder at anybody?” “If you look at the story, I think you’ll see it said something about me throwing a binder down, not at someone,” Klobuchar responded. But according to the report, “one aide was accidentally hit with a flying binder, according to someone who saw it happen, though the staffer said the senator did not intend to hit anyone with the binder when she threw it.”
Looking ahead to how the Democrats planned to run against President Trump, Baier also pressed Klobuchar about her temperament:
Some are saying that the questions are sexist to begin with but obviously Democrats are going to use temperament as one of the things to run against President Trump. So, do you have the temperament to be president?
Baier’s interview was probably the most serious grilling Klobuchar had been through regarding the allegations against her.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
February 12, 2019
6:24:36 p.m. Eastern(…)
BRET BAIER: There have been a number of stories about how you deal with your staff. I've heard you answer the questions. At you expect a lot, that you're a tough boss. You concede that. But you also point others who say they liked working with you. Some of the stories are pretty specific though. Here is a – Yahoo! [report] “a number of former staffers – both male and female describing a workplace environment governed by fear and dread, one in which Klobuchar treated her Capitol Hill staffers with cruelty and humiliation, while fixating on seemingly minor issues.” The Huffington Post says that Senator Reid rebuked you for mistreatment of your staff in 2015. Is that true?
AMY KLOBUCHAR: I called Senator Reid when I heard it and he doesn't remember that and I don't remember that either.
BAIER: So, wears all this coming from?
KLOBUCHAR: I don't know. It's all anonymous but I will say I am proud of our staff. And yes, I can be a tough boss and push people. That's obvious. But that’s because I have high expectations of myself. I have high expectations of those that work with me, and I have high expectations for a country. My chief of staff has worked for me for six years. My state director for seven years, campaign manager for 14 years.
BAIER: Ever throw a binder at anybody?
KLOBUCHAR: If you look at the story, I think you’ll see it said something about me throwing a binder down, not at someone.
BAIER: So, you think this is just out to give a negative perception as you roll out this presidential run?
KLOBUCHAR: I don't know what it is. I just know that I should be judged and I will take responsibly for everything that happens on this campaign, and there's nothing more -- better way to judge a manager which I was for years, by the way, when I was county attorney with a very low turnover rate for eight years. I managed hundreds of prosecutors which isn't easy to do. And so, I think people should judge me based on this campaign and how we do, and we had a good beginning and that was a strong team that did that.
BAIER: Some are saying that the questions are sexist to begin with but obviously Democrats are going to use temperament as one of the things to run against President Trump. So, do you have the temperament to be president?
KLOBUCHAR: I do. I think I showed it during the Kavanaugh hearings and I have shown that through my life in terms of how I dealt with adversity in my personal life, growing up with my dad with a pretty severe drinking problem. He's doing well now at age 90. To the life I lead now.
(…)
