The discussion of FBI Director Comey’s controversial decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton for her private server raged on Thursday’s Morning Joe. Opinions swirled around the table over Clinton’s flagrant mishandling of classified information. Surprisingly, the liberal Mika Brzezinski repeatedly referred to panelists as being “hostages [to the Clintons] for thirty years who don’t know how to think anymore.” The loudest critic was co-host Joe Scarborough, who asserted “Neither Hillary Clinton nor all the people around her should ever be within 1,000 miles of classified information again.”
HAROLD FORD JR.: Look, what would you recommend they do then? She’s the nominee.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I'm not recommending anything. I’m just recommending we think logically as if this is a human being and not someone who for years and years and years and years and years we've just decided is in a different category of humanity.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's face it—
BRZEZINSKI: You guys are all hostages.
SCARBOROUGH: James Comey. Let's face it, James Comey treated Hillary Clinton different than he would have treated anybody else.
The panel also discussed Paul Ryan’s recent comments that Clinton should be prohibited from classified briefings due to her proven recklessness in handling such information. Panelists Jim VandeHei, Harold Ford Jr. and Michael Steele suggested that while it should happen, it won’t. Why? Because “the rules that apply to the rest of the world” don’t apply to the Clintons:
MICHAEL STEELE: I mean at the end of the day the White House is not going to shut Hillary Clinton off from these intelligence--
SCARBOROUGH: Why not? Anybody else would be shut off.
STEELE: They would.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh so the Clintons live by different standard?
STEELE: Yeah, of course. So, we know that. We’re in verified air here so it’s not going to happen.
SCARBOROUGH: What, what, so, so, when, the rules that apply to the rest of the world do not apply.
STEELE: They just don’t apply.
Perhaps the most astute observation came from Scarborough who said what many are thinking: Keep Hillary Clinton and everyone in her circle far, far away from classified documents.
SCARBOROUGH: You need to talk to people in the FBI. Because she was, she was Hillary Clinton and she was the presumptive Democratic nominee and that there would be a higher standard for her. I don't think there should be a higher standard for her. And when they decide whether she ever gets access or Cheryl mills should never, ever get within 1,000 miles of classified information ever again. It's disgusting that an attorney would be that reckless. And somebody that’s been in government long enough to know better. Neither Hillary Clinton nor all the people around her should ever be within 1,000 miles of classified information again.
FORD JR.: That’s not what’s going to happen.
BRZEZINSKI: I know because you’re a hostage.
SCARBOROUGH: If you don't take my word for it, talk to anybody in the Intel community to see just how reckless.
Over the last thirty years, thanks to liberals in the press, the Clintons have become untouchable in some quarters. So, it was a refreshing surprise to see some skepticism even in the liberal confines of MSNBC.
View Full Transcript Here:
07-07-16 MSNBC Morning Joe
06:09:00 AM – 06:13:29HAROLD FORD JR.: Well there are politics that go along with the facts. Look I don't deny the facts. He made very clear James Comey who’s character, integrity, probity is I think unassailable and unimpeachable. He indicated that it was his recommendation not to move forward with an indictment. Now, he made very clear that she, Mrs. Clinton, secretary Clinton and many of her deputies were careless in the use of information. But he didn’t believe it rose to the level being indictable.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And he talked about that being definitely that there would be administrative actions.
FORD JR.: He said that was not his place but he could expect that those--
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, but, but he said they could expect this would be an administrative action that would seem to fit certainly his scathing political indictment of her.
FORD JR.: Right but I don’t know if she's the nominee of the Democratic party and she selects a person to run with, much like Mr. Romney selected Speaker Ryan. How do you deny the presumptive, or the nominee of the party who could be elected president, can she--perhaps you can put some of the safeguards around it? Secondly, she didn't share any of this information outside of people who were authorized to hear or covered persons. I'm not defending what she did at all, but I do think that we have to look at the facts and look at it carefully, what she did and how she was careless in transmitting and transferring this information.
JIM VANDEHEI: I get your point and I thought you made it really well yesterday on this show, but it's not going to happen. Number one, congress can't prevent the briefings. I think that’s why he said we’d like to look at—[inaudible, Scarborough speaking over him]
SCARBOROUGH: No the Intel community can though.
VANDEHEI: The intel community can but the administration is not going to.
SCARBOROUGH: We are talking about; we are talking about setting precedence. This isn't like something we haven't been through before. I’m sure you’ve been through it too as an Armed Services Committee. We always – you, you, you go through a hell of a lot to get classified information.
VANDEHEI: But ultimately it’s a white house call. And the white house will decide whether or not that happens and they're not going to do that to Hillary Clinton which is why I would take a contrarian view to the table on the speech last night. I think the argument against the facts, as you stated them. Not the politics, the facts, are powerful against Hillary Clinton and not articulating that and getting off on the side show issues in defending the star. To me is like politically asinine, like why would you do that when you have something that is perfect for you to go after the fundamental flaw in Hillary Clinton, which is nobody trusts her. Nobody trusts her.
SCARBOROUGH: In, In—
MICHAEL STEELE: But that's the stronger point I think and that's really what I was thinking about. Because you're right, Herald, I mean at the end of the day the white house is not going to shut Hillary Clinton off from these intelligence--
SCARBOROUGH: Why not? Anybody else would be shut off.
STEELE: They would.
SCARBOROUGH: That’s how—
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh another thing the Clinton’s--
SCARBOROUGH: Oh so the Clintons live by different standard?
STEELE: Yeah, of course. So, we know that. We’re in verified air here so it’s not going to happen.
SCARBOROUGH: How long does that happened?
BRZEZINSKI: Why is?
SCARBOROUGH: What, what, so, so, when, the rules that apply to the rest of the world do not apply.
[Steele and Scarborough talking over each other]
STEELE: They just don’t apply.
BRZEZINSKI: Like you’ve been hostages for thirty years.
STEELE: It's a different kind of gravity.
SCARBOROUGH: Part 47.
STEELE: Yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: Really?
VANDEHEI: I'm not arguing that they shouldn’t prevent it, I’m just saying they're not going to.
BRZEZINSKI: I know because you all have been hostages for thirty years and you don’t know how to think anymore.
VANDEHEI: I don’t know about you I don’t know about hostages but--
STEELE: I agree. I don't think so. She was clearly--
[Table talking over each other]
FORD JR.: But, but, but, but.
VANDEHEI: Look, what would you recommend they do then? She’s the nominee.
BRZEZINSKI: I'm not recommending anything. I’m just recommending we think logically as if this is a human being and not someone who for years and years and years and years and years we've just decided is in a different category of humanity.
SCARBOROUGH: Let's face it—
BRZEZINSKI: You guys are all hostages.
SCARBOROUGH: James Comey. Let's face it, James Comey treated Hillary Clinton different than he would have treated anybody else. And in fact David Ignatius reported for some time there is a higher standard that Comey and the FBI decided to place on Hillary Clinton than they would have placed on anyone else. That's what David was reporting.
BRZEZINSKI: I—it’s in the ether.
SCARBOROUGH: That’s what David Ignatius was reporting and it’s disgusting.
FORD JR.: What, what, I didn’t see what David wrote. What was the basis for that? I’m just trying to--
SCARBOROUGH: You need to talk to people in the FBI. Because she was, she was Hillary Clinton and she was the presumptive Democratic nominee and that there would be a higher standard for her. I don't think there should be a higher standard for her. And when they decide whether she ever gets access or Cheryl mills should never, ever get within 1,000 miles of classified information ever again. It's disgusting that an attorney would be that reckless. And somebody that’s been in government long enough to know better. Neither Hillary Clinton nor all the people around her should ever be within 1,000 miles of classified information again.
FORD JR.: That’s not what’s going to happen.
BRZEZINSKI: I know because you’re a hostage.
SCARBOROUGH: If you don't take my word for it, talk to anybody in the Intel community to see just how reckless.
BRZEZINSKI: That’s not what’s going to happen.
FORD JR.: We don't know if that's going to happen, we don’t know if that’s going to happen or not. But--
STEELE: They’re not going to cut her off. They're not going to cut her off from—
SCARBOROUGH: Of course. Of course not. She’s a Clinton. She’s a Clinton!
