During the MSNBC/NBC Commander-in-Chief Forum Matt Lauer, co-host of NBC’s Today, hammered Hillary Clinton repeatedly about her e-mail scandal, much to Clinton’s chagrin. But Clinton was not the only one that didn’t appreciate Lauer’s prying into the issue for the American people. “But to have half of the time with her be on the issue e-mail,” whined MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Brian William’s trial program The 11th Hour.
Maddow seemed tired of hearing about it while complaining that Donald Trump managed to cover more topics that Clinton. “But I felt like part of the reason Donald Trump got asked about 12 things, and she got asked about three things, is that she got e-mails, e-mails, e-mails, e-mails, e-mails” Maddow whined to Williams.
She tried to sympathize with Clinton saying, “That's got to be a source of frustration to her and her campaign.” She also claimed that their viewers were tired of hearing about it too, “I sometimes think it's also a source of frustration to viewers.” But Clinton’s biggest sticking point for voters is her trustworthiness. They want all the information they can get regarding her private e-mail server, and they want her to answer tough questions about it.
Williams’ second guest Nicolle Wallace grilled Clinton on her poor performance in the forum, noting her defensiveness:
… she couldn't get on offense. The opening statement that we aired was her finest moments. Of the 30 minutes, the only time she was making an affirmative case for her candidacy was that clip we just aired. She ended up on the defense not just from Matt Lauer, who I thought did a great job, but also from the folks in the audience, there were questions about her judgment. And she responded, as you just said, parsing her actions and her decision making on classified material.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
The 11th Hour
September 7, 2016
11:08:32 PM EasternBRIAN WILLIAMS: We were talking about the e-mails.
RACHEL MADDOW: The first half of that discussion with Clinton was all on the e-mails.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I sent this note over here, watching her from home, it struck me as sort of a campaign, a PTSD campaign staffer that she couldn't get on offense. The opening statement that we aired was her finest moments. Of the 30 minutes, the only time she was making an affirmative case for her candidacy was that clip we just aired. She ended up on the defense not just from Matt Lauer, who I thought did a great job, but also from the folks in the audience, there were questions about her judgment. And she responded, as you just said, parsing her actions and her decision making on classified material.
MADDOW: But to have half of the time with her be on the issue e-mail? I mean, there's definitely a case to be made that there's a national security component, there's a commander-in-chief forum component to the e-mails question. But I felt like part of the reason Donald Trump got asked about 12 things, and she got asked about three things, is that she got e-mails, e-mails, e-mails, e-mails, e-mails. That's got to be a source of frustration to her and her campaign. I sometimes think it's also a source of frustration to viewers.
…
WALLACE: But can I just say? I mean, the reason that if you were tracking her questions; part of the reasons she got fewer is her answers were longer, in part, if you're a critic, you might say she filibustered. But Donald Trump's answers are short, in part, because he doesn't know that much stuff about that much stuff. So you know you’ve got to cover more—
MADDOW: That’s true. The follow-ups to him are actually to draw him out. The follow-ups to her are to nail her down. Because he says something and then just stops talking.
WALLACE: Yeah.
