Reacting to Huffington Post reporter Laura Bassett highlighting during Tuesday’s Hardball that a Donald Trump advisor recently “called for Hillary to face a firing squad” for her handling of Benghazi in light of Trump’s new gun comments, MSNBC host Chris Matthews used the occasion to bloviate about how he “keep[s] wondering what she did in Benghazi” that has people so upset.
Matthews also took a few shots at the House Select Committee on Benghazi for failing “to run a decent hearing” and instead “ask[ed] stupid question after stupid question” instead of, in his mind, establishing what happened to the late Ambassador Chris Stevens on September 11, 2001.
For her contribution to the “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” segment, Bassett told Matthews:
Trump still has an advisor in Al Baldossaro from New Hampshire who during the RNC called for Hillary to face a firing squad. So, considering his comments today suggesting maybe Second Amendment people should take that into their own hands, he's going to have some explaining to do.
Of course, Matthews immediately wanted to know why Baldossaro made the incendiary comment but “why a firing squad” and so Bassett helped Matthews out by reminding him that “[h]e was upset about the Benghazi situation.”
“Well, what did she do in Benghazi? I keep wondering what she did in Benghazi,” Matthews exclaimed before Bassett responded that people are upset with Clinton for not “send[ing] enough security forces, I suppose.”
The seemingly not self-aware liberal host then whined that he’s “still waiting for Congress to run a decent hearing” and that too many members of Congress (read: Republicans) always “asks stupid question after stupid question”:
They don't know how to have an organized hearing. Everybody asks stupid question after stupid question and Hillary never had to do, which I think would have been helpful for her, when I first heard, it was 6:15. Blah, blah, blah. I just checked it. Then we did this, then we called, then we called the military..and that would, at least to me, would say, but they don't know how to have clear conversations in these hearings.
To review, Matthews thought it was important for his viewers to hear him rail against “stupid” questioning by members of Congress about then-Secretary Clinton’s handling of Benghazi, but many people who watch and/or can’t bear to tune into his show would probably have the same thing to say about his entire program.
The relevant portion of the transcript from MSNBC’s Hardball from August 9 can be found below.
MSNBC’s Hardball
August 9, 2016
7:44 p.m. Eastern
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Laura?
LAURA BASSETT: Trump still has an advisor in Al Baldossaro from New Hampshire who during the RNC called for Hillary to face a firing squad. So, considering his comments today suggesting maybe Second Amendment people should take that into their own hands, he's going to have some explaining to do.
MATTHEWS: Why did — not to — it don’t explain this part. Can you help them? Why?
BASSETT: Why?
MATTHEWS: Why a firing squad? What capital crime did she commit?
BASSETT: He was upset about the Benghazi situation. He said she should face a firing squad for treason.
MATTHEWS: Well, what did she do in Benghazi? I keep wondering what she did in Benghazi.
BASSETT: Let them — didn't send enough security forces, I suppose.
MATTHEWS: Okay, well then, why didn't they hold a decent hearing?
BASSETT: Right.
MATTHEWS: I’m still waiting for Congress to run a decent hearing.
BASSETT: Yeah.
MATTHEWS: Secretary Clinton, let’s go through minute by minute, half hour by half hour where you were when you first heard this guy was in trouble, your friend Chris Stevens. They don't know how to have an organized hearing. Everybody asks stupid question after stupid question and Hillary never had to do, which I think would have been helpful for her, when I first heard, it was 6:15. Blah, blah, blah. I just checked it. Then we did this, then we called, then we called the military, I talked to Leon, we saw where the nearest forces were but then I heard he was dead. Okay? I never left this issue. I never got off of it. I never went anywhere else. That’s what I worked on. I tried to save my friend's life and that would, at least to me, would say, but they don't know how to have clear conversations in these hearings.
JONATHAN CAPEHART: None of them and they —
MATTHEWS: They don't get to the clarity.
