Andrea Mitchell couldn’t hold in her displeasure for the FBI Tuesday night during NBC’s Nightly News. The professional journalist continued to whine about how the FBI’s announcement, to not indict Hillary Clinton with a felony, “spoiled” her big day. “The FBI's bombshell announcement spoiling what President Obama and Hillary Clinton were hoping would be the political picture of the day, stepping off Air Force One together,” she moaned.
The magical sight was something Mitchell had been looking forward to for a while now. On NBC’s Meet the Press the previous Sunday she described how perfect the scene was going to be, while flailing her arms around:
I was told that there was a plan, a possible plan for her to fly in on Tuesday with this first Obama meeting to North Carolina on Air Force One! The full embrace! The Picture! … Coming out— You see the door of the plane opens, there are the two of them arm-in-arm!
The reporter praised Clinton and Obama’s tag team attacks on her opponent Donald Trump, and lamented that it might have been for nothing, “But today those attacks on Trump overshadowed by what the FBI director said about Clinton.”
She was upset with FBI Director James Comey for speaking negatively about her favorite presidential candidate, and claimed he was helping Republicans. “It's the FBI's stunning rebuke of Clinton that's ready made for Republican attacks,” she complained. Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin backed her up saying, “He laid out a non-legal but political indictment for Republicans to use of what Hillary Clinton did with her e-mails.”
Even though Comey recommended that no charges be filed against Clinton he did expose her as a liar. Clinton claimed she never sent or received classified information, but Comey stated there were 8 that were known to be Top Secret. The FBI director called the actions of Clinton and her people “extremely careless.”
Transcript below:
NBC
Nightly News
July 5, 2016
7:04:15 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: The FBI announcement came just hours before Hillary Clinton hit the campaign trail for the first time with President Obama. But that moment was largely overshadowed as Clinton’s critics seized on the FBI’s findings against her. We get more on that from NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
[Cuts to video]
ANDREA MITCHELL: The FBI's bombshell announcement spoiling what President Obama and Hillary Clinton were hoping would be the political picture of the day, stepping off Air Force One together, after pointedly not discussing the investigation on the flight down. Former rivals now campaigning as a team. Clinton even using the rallying cry Obama used to defeat her in 2008.
HILLARY CLINTON: We are fired up and ready to go, ready to win this election.
BARACK OBAMA AND CROWD: Hillary! Hillary!
MITCHELL: The Clinton campaign playing up the FBI director's decision not to recommend an indictment in a statement concluding, “we are glad that this matter is now resolved.” But it's the FBI's stunning rebuke of Clinton.
COMEY: There is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.
MITCHELL: That's ready made for Republican attacks, Donald Trump already tweeting, “FBI director said crooked Hillary compromised our national security, no charges, wow. Rigged system.” Along with a chorus of Republicans led by House Speaker Paul Ryan, saying, “Comey's recommendation defies explanation.” All this complicating a trust deficit for Clinton. In our latest poll, 69 percent questioning her honesty.
CLINTON: I personally know I have work to do on this front.
MITCHELL: Clinton, hoping the president with a 51 percent approval rating can help her fix that problem.
OBAMA: There has never been any man or woman more qualified for this office than Hillary Clinton.
MITCHELL: And take down Donald Trump.
OBAMA: Everybody can tweet, but nobody actually knows what it takes to do the job until you have sat behind the desk.
MITCHELL: But today those attacks on Trump overshadowed by what the FBI director said about Clinton.
MARK HALPERIN: He laid out a non-legal but political indictment for Republicans to use of what Hillary Clinton did with her e-mails.
[Cuts back to live]
MITCHELL: All of this spoiling the big democratic rollout here in North Carolina , a state Obama narrowly lost in 2012, but the Clinton campaign still believes that they still have a good chance of winning despite what happened today.
