During a conversation Wednesday night at a YMCA in New York City, CBS’ late night host Stephen Colbert interviewed CBS News political director John Dickerson on the race for the White House. At some point in the interview, they took audience questions in which one person asked if Bill Clinton’s past should affect Hillary Clinton’s future. Dickerson responded by admitting that it was one of journalists’ “jobs” to steer the conversation away from candidates' pasts.
Colbert began by reading an audience member question: “Can Bill Clinton’s past take down Hillary Clinton’s future?”
The late night comedian added, “I will also say, add Hillary Clinton’s past in there. Can things from the ‘90s count now?”
DICKERSON: Well it’s ah...so it feels like this campaign’s going to be a lot about Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton’s past and Donald Trump’s past. Elections are supposed to be about the future. And it feels like we are not, um, we’re not having that conversation. Although we’ve tried it. Actually, you know, one of our jobs is to try to take the conversation and make it about the future and people’s lives, not about adjudicating the past. EXCEPT when the past goes to character and temperament which is crucial because we’re not going to be there when the big decisions are made and you need people who have the character and the temperament for the job.
“So, um….I don’t know,” Dickerson concluded.
“It’s definitely going to be used, all that 90s stuff,” Colbert responded, and referenced Trump’s plan to bring up WhiteWater, revealed in an accidental email sent to Politico. “It just proves that Trump is second worse at using email,” Colbert joked to which Dickerson laughed and responded, “You could argue she’s very good at using email.” “That’s true,” Colbert agreed.
To Dickerson’s credit, later in the Q&A, he pushed back against Colbert’s assertion that past secretaries of state have used personal email servers in the same way that Clinton had. Dickerson stated that what Clinton did with her server was unprecedented. “When you set up your own email server” Dickerson added, “That’s not transparency. Voters notice that.” he added.
At the same time, Dickerson did say in a Slate podcast that the emails were “a stupid issue."
