During the panel segment of CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, CNN political commentator and former Democratic State Representative Bakari Sellers (S.C.) complained that Hillary Clinton has been subject to "McCarthyite type attacks" during the campaign and particularly from socialist Senator Bernie Sanders over her close ties to Wall Street.
Naturally, Sellers made these remarks without a hint of irony that such a description doesn't measure up when one considers how she's given paid speeches to Wall Street firms and been riddled by a flurry of scandals ranging from cattle futures to her e-mail scandal over the last year.
"I understand Hillary Clinton's frustration. Back in May when Bernie Sanders launched his campaign for presidency, he said it wasn't going to be about Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, it was going to be about the American people and we were going to have a substantive debate about the issues," Sellers began.
He then lamented that "[t]he tenor" of the Sanders "campaign has changed" and echoed recent comments by former Democratic Congressman Barney Frank that "it's these McCarthyite type attacks" that have, in their minds, unfairly "challenge[d] Hillary Clinton's character."
The Clinton supporter further griped that if Sanders and critics are attempting to have Clinton's "character...be compromised, show us over her two decades-plus of service where her character has been compromised" but, in his view, no one has done.
As readers of NewsBusters would know, questionable incidents involving the former First Lady and secretary of state stretches back decades.
Whether it's the scandal involving the White House travel office (and how was found to have given false statements) to her peculiar earnings on cattle futures to her handling of Benghazi, the claim that criticism of Clinton from the right or left should be seen as McCarthyism is arguably dishonest and a misdiagnosis at best.
The relevant portion of the transcript from CNN's State of the Union on April 3 can be found below.
CNN's State of the Union
April 3, 2016
9:44 a.m. Eastern
BAKARI SELLERS: I mean and I understand Hillary Clinton's frustration. Back in May when Bernie Sanders launched his campaign for presidency, he said it wasn't going to be about Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, it was going to be about the American people and we were going to have a substantive debate about issues. The tenor of his campaign has changed. Whether or not it's surrogates or whether or not it's the candidate himself and I think that Representative Barney Frank actually hit the nail on the head that it's these McCarthyite type attacks. That if you're going to challenge Hillary Clinton's character, if you're going to challenge her character and say that for somehow because these people are contributing to her that her character's going to be compromised, then show us over her two decades-plus of service where her character has been compromised and the campaign hasn't done that. They failed on that. In fact, you know, we talk about the fossil fuel industry that Bernie Sanders has taken money from, Hillary Clinton, when she was secretary of state, laid the framework for this international compact to combat climate change.
TAPPER: Are you worried that Sanders is hurting Hillary Clinton ---
SELLERS: Not at all.
TAPPER: --- in such a way that if she gets the nomination, damage will have been done?
SELLERS: No because --- and this may be my youthful naivety, but I do believe that there will be a moment that Nina Turner and myself and Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton and Michelle and Barack Obama will stand on a stage together, unite the party and we're not at that point yet, but we will get to that point and then go out because we have a fight literally for the soul of this country versus Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.
AMANDA CARPENTER: Yeah well, in the meantime, I think you guys should have a debate about it. There's so much the Republican side. But really, there's some substance to be drawn out between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on this issue. And it should just be caught on a hot mic moment. Let's have a full debate. I'd love to watch.
