Chuck Todd Whines: Trump ‘Publicly Humiliated’ Bill Clinton With Women

October 10th, 2016 1:24 PM

An irritated Chuck Todd on Monday chided Donald Trump for highlighting women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse. Talking about Sunday’s debate in which the businessman did a press conference with  Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey, among others, the NBC journalist complained, “Only in the, sort of, the mind of some sort of movie writer of a third world democracy or dictatorship would you have a candidate publicly humiliate a former occupant of that office by parading all of these other people around.” 

Deriding the debate itself, “It is and will remain now the single most surreal presidential debate in American history.” MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell also appeared unhappy that Trump so aggressively brought up Clinton’s e-mails. 

She scolded that the businessman’s “you would be in jail” moment is reminiscent of “what happens in Ukraine or Iraq or a banana republic, where  if you win an election, you lock up your opponent.  

On ABC's Good Morning America, reporter Tom Llamas grilled Willey, demanding, “Do you think Donald Trump used you as a political prop today?”

A partial transcript is below: 

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MSNBC Live
10/10/16
12:07

DONALD TRUMP: If I win, I am going to instruct my Attorney General to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there has never been so many lies, so much deception. There has never been anything like it, and we're going to have a special prosecutor. There has never been anything like this, where e-mails and you get a subpoena, you get a subpoena, and after getting the subpoena, you delete 33,000 e-mails. 

HILLARY CLINTON: Everything he just said is absolutely false, but I'm not surprised. It is awfully good with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country. 

TRUMP: Because you would be in jail. 

MARTHA RADDATZ: Secretary Clinton -- 

ANDREA MITCHELL: Chuck, that raised a lot of eyebrows, not least because it’s redolent of what happens in Ukraine or Iraq or a banana republic, where, if you win an election, you lock up your opponent. 

CHUCK TODD: Right. Only in a third world country, and only in the, sort of, the mind of some sort of movie writer of a third world democracy or dictatorship would you have a candidate publicly humiliate a former occupant of that office by parading all of these other people around as well. It was sort of —  it is and will remain now the single most surreal presidential debate in American history and only be remembered for two things: Trump's decision to bring out Bill Clinton's accusers, and that moment, the clip you just played on the jail card. Which brings me to a final point here, Andrea.. For a couple of months, Reince Priebus wants to argue to the Never Trumpers, it is choosing time. You have to pick between Trump and Clinton if you want to protect the Supreme Court, protect the House majority, things like that. Now it is a whole different ball game. It is now choosing time inside the Republican Party. And essentially, you've got Trump base supporters saying, “If you abandon, we are coming after us.” And then on the other side, a bunch of Republicans who feel as if they have to choose between Trump and the Republican Party. That the two can't coexist.