Seeking to bring Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal into the panel segment of CNN’s State of the Union from Iowa on Sunday, conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt expressed skepticism about the final Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll for the Democratic side since it was taken before it was revealed that 22 e-mails from Clinton’s server were found to be top secret.
Tangling with former Clinton adviser and Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden, Hewitt argued that it does matter to voters and it “will make its way into the election” as “she is lying to the American people” about what transpired.
After host Jake Tapper first brought up the poll’s final result for Democrats and former Democratic Governor/O’Malley supporter Brian Schweitzer argued that a close win or loss will do about the same for socialist Senator Sanders since Iowa doesn’t award all of its delegates to the winner.
Tapper turned to Tanden and wondered if Clinton and her supporters had underestimated Sanders to which Tanden tried to brush that notion off as “we've seen Bernie Sanders rise in the fall” and that those who are “tired of politics as usual” will want to caucus for Clinton.
“I think what's great about this race is Hillary in the last week has really been, you know, fighting for it. She's really, like, doing better in the clutch,” Tanden added.
It was at this point Hewitt jumped in to mention that the final poll released on Saturday night “was taken before the 22 emails marked top secret/SCI/SAP were revealed” on Friday afternoon.
The two-time CNN GOP debate co-moderator went onto opine that “[t]his is an enormously important issue of national security” with “[h]er biggest vulnerability” being that “she is not trusted.”
Tanden shot back that Democrats don’t care and there was a question in the final poll about the scandal in general and 85 percent of Democratic primary but Hewitt was ready to respond before Tapper changed the subject: “No, this is before the 22 emails on Friday came out that were marked top secret. She is lying to the American people. It will make its way into the election.”
The relevant portion of the transcript from CNN’s State of the Union on January 31 can be found below.
CNN’s State of the Union
January 31, 2016
9:46 a.m. Eastern
JAKE TAPPER: Let's look at the Democratic race right now from that gold standard poll, The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg, Hillary Clinton, 45 percent. Bernie Sanders, 42 percent. Sorry, Governor Schweitzer, Martin O'Malley only had three percent there. If that ends up being the final vote count, is the headline, do you think, Governor, Hillary Clinton wins Iowa, or is it Bernie Sanders almost beats Hillary Clinton in Iowa?
FORMER DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR SCHWEITZER (Mont.): I don't care what the headline is because it isn't winner take all. When they leave Iowa — if you get to 15 percent, you get some delegates and if you don't, you don't, so the point is is that what Bernie ought to say is, look, I got 45 percent and I won and Hillary has to say, I won. Outright.
TAPPER: Yeah.
SCHWEITZER: So, you know, Bernie really ought to say, I got 45 percent of the delegates in Iowa. That's pretty dang good and go on to New Hampshire.
TAPPER: Did Hillary Clinton underestimate Bernie Sanders, do you think, or did the Clinton organization underestimate him?
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS’s NEERA TANDEN: You know, we've — we've seen Bernie Sanders rise in the fall. So I think you know, this isn't just like he was rising just now. He went — he had a big, big surge in the fall, came down a little — surging again, so I don't think — I think that the reality is that people are tired of politics as usual and I think what's great about this race is Hillary in the last week has really been, you know, fighting for it. She's really, like, doing better in the clutch.
TAPPER: Go ahead, Hugh.
HUGH HEWITT: This is — this poll was taken before the 22 emails marked top secret/SCI/SAP were revealed.
TANDEN: Yeah.
HEWITT: This is an enormously important issue of national security. Her biggest vulnerability is she is not trusted.
TAPPER: Do Democrats care?
NEERA: No they don’t and —
HEWITT: Yes, they do and Republicans care.
TANDEN: The Des Moines Register poll, this question was asked about the e-mail. 85 percent Democrats say they don't care.
HEWITT: No, this is before the 22 emails on Friday came out that were marked top secret. She is lying to the American people. It will make its way into the election
TANDEN: She is not lying.
