Game Change author Mark Halperin agreed with Bill Clinton’s conspiracy theory that Republicans are engaged in a “vast” plot to make the e-mail scandal a major focus of the presidential campaign at the expense of actual issues. Appearing on Morning Joe, Monday, the Bloomberg Politics managing editor responded to an interview clip of Bill Clinton. Halperin asserted, “Much of what he says is true.”
He concurred with Bill Clinton’s claims, saying: “There's a concerted effort to make this about her personal stuff and not let her talk about issues and it is a vast attempt by the right to do it.” (The use of the word “vast” brings to mind Mrs. Clinton’s warning of a “vast right-wing conspiracy.")
Though Halperin agreed with the conspiracy theory, he suggested, “As much as he's right about some things, that is not the playbook they want.”
Fellow Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist appeared skeptical, wondering, “Are the FBI and the Justice Department in on this Republican strategy to go after Secretary Clinton?”
[Thanks to MRC intern Michael McKinney for the transcript.]
Halperin had spin for that, too, asserting:
HALPERIN: Well let's see what they are looking into, alright. They are still doing,
as far as we know, a security investigation. And if her server was never hacked into, that may be the end of what they do. Republicans are hoping they will do more, but right now, you can't say based on what we know about the FBI investigation, that they are a part of hurting her. They may be helping her in the end.
A transcript of the September 28 segment is below:
6:17
FAREED ZAKARIA: But you think it’s a Republican plot, really?
BILL CLINTON: No, I'm not going there. Because that’s — A plot makes it sound like it's a secret. No, I think that there are lots of people who wanted there to be a race for different reasons.
KATTY KAY: Okay, so Bill Clinton not quiet on message there, from Hillary's point of view. That's trying to say, “I take responsibility for the way this is being handled even if I can't control everything” and then to have Bill come out and say, “Well, this is the Republicans playing their tricks again.” That's not what the Hillary campaign wants is it.
MARK HALPERIN (Managing editor, Bloomberg Politics): No, Much of what he says is true. There's a concerted effort to make this about her personal stuff and not let her talk about issues and it is a vast attempt by the right to do it. That interview has freaked out a lot of Democrats though. Because as much as he's right about some things, that is not the play book they want. They don't think that in the Internet Age, given her negatives, that is the argument they want to make.
MIKE BARNICLE: What is the argument they want to make?
HALPERIN: They want to talk about is issues and not about the process of attacking Republicans. That is what they would prefer to do. I have to say, one of the biggest variables to me now in watching the interview, is can he up his game? Because a lot of the Democrats are counting on him to be on the campaign trail, for her, sharper than he was in that interview.
WILLIE GEIST: But are the FBI and the Justice Department in on this Republican strategy,
to go after Secretary Clinton because they are ones looking into it?HALPERIN: Well let's see what they are looking into, alright. They are still doing,
as far as we know, a security investigation. And if her server was never hacked into, that may be the end of what they do. Republicans are hoping they will do more, but right now, you can't say based on what we know about the FBI investigation, that they are a part of hurting her. They may be helping her in the end.GEIST: We will see.
