Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton came out swinging Tuesday in a Q&A with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. There, she shifted blame for her humiliating loss while merely claiming to take personal responsibility. The liberal Big Three Networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) were more than happy to aid in her endeavor. “Today Hillary Clinton gave her most candid assessment yet of why she believes she lost the election,” hyped Anchor Scott Pelley during CBS Evening News.
“Had the election been on October 27th, I'd be your president,” Clinton declared in the first clip that played in Nancy Cordes’ CBS report. “In a Q&A on a New York staging, Clinton described a victory derailed by outside forces,” Cordes reported. She then played a clip of Clinton blaming FBI Director James Comey and WikiLeaks.
During the discussion, Clinton insinuated that the Trump campaign was in collusion with the Russians. She claimed the release of John Podesta’s emails was conveniently timed with the leak of the Trump-damaging Hollywood Access video. But Cordes mischaracterized Clinton’s accusations, saying: “The former secretary of state stopped short of tying the Trump campaign to Russian officials, but she did argue their interests were aligned.”
“She said she's going back to being an activist,” Cordes said. “Interestingly, Scott, she described herself as part of the resistance, the movement that has arisen in response to Mr. Trump's presidency.”
On ABC’s World News Tonight, Anchor David Muir played up Clinton’s return announcing that:
Hillary Clinton breaking her silence on what she believes led to her stunning loss. It immediately made headlines today. Saying, if the election was held on October 27th, a little more than a week before Election Day, that she would be the president of this country tonight.
Reporter Cecilia Vega bought into Clinton’s assertion that Comey cost her the election. “The news dominated the front pages, and Clinton, who is now writing a book about her experience, says, she paid the price,” she reported.
At the end of the report, Muir was very eager to know if Clinton planned to run again in 2020. Vega seemed to want to let him down easy but keep his spirits up, saying:
Well David, 2020 is still a long way off, but this is what I’m told: She no longer wants to sit on the sidelines and while we can expect to hear and see Hillary Clinton a lot more in the months and weeks to come, it will be as an activist not a candidate.
The most pathetic coverage came from NBC Nightly News. The problem with NBC’s coverage had little to with what Clinton fangirl Andrea Mitchell said during her report, but what she left unsaid.
During the Q&A, Clinton claimed that no debate moderator had asked her and Trump about creating jobs. “I kept waiting for the moment,” Clinton told the crowd:
I've watched a million presidential debates in my life and I was waiting for the moment when one of the people asking the questions would have said, so exactly how are you going to create more jobs? Right? I mean, I thought that, you know—I thought at some moment that would happen. And I was ready for that moment!”
But the truth is, that question was the very first question asked during the very first debate, which was moderated by NBC Anchor Lester Holt. “Beginning with you, Secretary Clinton, why are you a better choice than your opponent to create the kinds of jobs that will put more money into the pockets of American works,” Holt asked on September 26. Not only was it the first question, but it was asked to Clinton first as well.
This fact was not something lost on NBC. The network’s Senior Political Editor Mark Murray sent out a tweet Tuesday morning declaring that fact. So for Mitchell to omit it from her report and not defend her colleague's integrity is just pathetic.
Clearly, the Big Three Networks can’t get enough of their candidate.
Transcripts below:
CBS Evening News
May 2, 2017
6:37:29 PM EasternSCOTT PELLEY: Today Hillary Clinton gave her most candid assessment yet of why she believes she lost the election. Here's Nancy Cordes.
[Cuts to video]
HILLARY CLINTON: Had the election been on October 27th, I'd be your president.
NANCY CORDES: In a Q&A on a New York staging, Clinton described a victory derailed by outside forces.
CLINTON: I was on the way to winning until the combination of Jim Comey's letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off.
CORDES: Clinton told CNN's Christiane Amanpour she's writing a back about her loss which she says has prompted some painful self-reflection.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Do you take any personal responsibility?
CLINTON: Of course, I take absolute personal responsibility. I was the candidate. But I will say this: I've been in a lot of campaigns. And I'm very proud of the campaign I ran. And remember, I did win more than three million votes than my opponent. So it's like, really?
AMANPOUR: I feel a tweet coming.
CLINTON: Well fine, better that than interfering in foreign affairs if he wants to tweet about me.
CORDES: The former secretary of state stopped short of tying the Trump campaign to Russian officials, but she did argue their interests were aligned.
CLINTON: Ask yourself this: Within an hour or two of the Hollywood Access taping with made public, the Russian staff of John Podesta’s e-mails hit WikiLeaks. What a coincidence. Did we make mistakes? Of course we did. Did I make mistakes? Oh my gosh, yes, you know, you'll read my confession and my requests for absolution.
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: Clinton was asked what she plans to do now. She said she's going back to being an activist. Interestingly, Scott, she described herself as part of the resistance, the movement that has arisen in response to Mr. Trump's presidency.
PELLEY: Nancy Cordes in our Washington newsroom. Nancy, thank you.
...
ABC
World News Tonight
May 2, 2017
6:34:30 PM EasternDAVID MUIR: Hillary Clinton breaking her silence on what she believes led to her stunning loss. It immediately made headlines today. Saying, if the election was held on October 27th, a little more than a week before Election Day, that she would be the president of this country tonight. Secretary Clinton does take personal responsibility saying it was her name on the ballot. But she also made it clear that late move by the FBI director 11 days before the election, she says, changed the race. Here's ABC Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega.
[Cuts back to live]
CECILIA VEGA: Hillary Clinton today, speaking out on what she believes cost her the election.
HILLARY CLINTON: I take absolute personal responsibility. I was the candidate. I was the person who was on the ballot.
VEGA: Shouldering some of the blame, but not all of it.
CLINTON: I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey's letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off.
VEGA: Team Clinton believes that is the day she lost the race. Clinton was in the air when the FBI director announced he was looking into her e-mails yet again. The election was less than two weeks away.
CLINTON: If the election had been on October 27th, I'd be your president, and it wasn't.
VEGA: The news dominated the front pages, and Clinton, who is now writing a book about her experience, says, she paid the price.
CLINTON: Did we make mistakes? Of course we did. Did I make mistakes? Oh my gosh, yes. You'll read my confession. And my request for absolution. But the reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last ten days.
VEGA: Clinton attended the inauguration of her former rival. But now, she's pulling no punches.
…
She says she has no plans to stay in the shadows.
CLINTON: I'm now back to being an activist citizen and part of the resistance.
[Cuts back to live]
MUIR: All right, she said she's part of the resistance. Cecilia Vega live with us tonight. Anyone who thought Hillary Clinton’s going away, it appears that’s not the case. Cecilia you covered this campaign, you talked to your sources tonight, is there a chance she is considering another run in 2020?
VEGA: Well David, 2020 is still a long way off, but this is what I’m told: She no longer wants to sit on the sidelines and while we can expect to hear and see Hillary Clinton a lot more in the months and weeks to come, it will be as an activist not a candidate.
