On Wednesday, NBC’s Today show hit back at Bill Clinton’s “false allegations” that the network took him out of context during an interview aired on Monday in which the former president ducked responsibility for the Monica Lewinsky scandal. NBC reporter Craig Melvin, who conducted the contentious exchange, fact checked the former president’s dishonest assertions.
Reacting to the accusation that Clinton leveled during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday night, co-host Savannah Guthrie proclaimed: “Also this morning, the former president, Bill Clinton, expressing some regret over his controversial remarks about Monica Lewinsky here on Today, but still making false allegations about that interview with Craig.”
Melvin, filling in for co-host Hoda Kotb, proceeded pick apart Clinton’s claims of unfair treatment. “Bill Clinton responding again to his contentious interview that aired Monday here on Today....The former president appearing to suggest that NBC News took his words out of context,” the journalist explained.
A soundbite followed of Clinton arguing that the interview was deceptively edited: “When I saw the interview, I thought that because they had to, you know, distill it, and it looked like I was saying I didn’t apologize and I had no intention to, and I was mad at me.” Another clip followed of him telling Colbert that he “didn’t like” the exchange with Melvin because “because it started with an assertion that basically I had never apologized, as if I had never tried to come to grips with it.”
Melvin corrected that false claim: “In fact, the exchange began with a question.” A portion of the Monday interview was featured to remind viewers of what actually happened:
MELVIN: Did you ever apologize to her?
CLINTON: Yes. And nobody believes that I got out of that for free. I left the White House $16 million in debt. But you typically have ignored gaping facts in describing this and I bet you don’t even know them.
MELVIN: I asked if you’d ever apologized and you said you have.
CLINTON: I have.
MELVIN: You’ve apologized to her?
CLINTON: I apologized to everybody in the world.
MELVIN: But you didn’t apologize to her?
CLINTON: I have not talked to her.
MELVIN: Do you feel like you owe her an apology?
CLINTON: No. I do – I do not – I never talked to her, but I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry. That’s very different, the apology was public.
MELVIN: And you don’t think a private apology’s owed?
JAMES PATTERSON: I think this thing is 20 years ago. Come on.
The reporter added: “Our report included part of Mr. Clinton’s public apology 20 years ago, which the former president expressed again last night, saying his Today interview wasn’t his best moment.”
Melvin then pointed out that Clinton kept up his attacks on NBC during another book tour event: “Tuesday night, Mr. Clinton also appeared at a New York Times event in Manhattan....Echoing his comments to Colbert acknowledging his own missteps while taking NBC to task.” Clinton continued his whining and made condescending remarks about Melvin:
What surprised me was the flat-out assertion that I’d never apologized....I got mad about not being asked about it, and I should have remembered that that man is young enough to be my son. I messed up and I own that, and no mistake by anybody else, including that young man aggressively saying I didn’t apologize can justify the fact that I got mad when I should have been saying I got a chance to tell a whole new generation that the journey I’ve been on the last 20 years is one the country has to take.
As the report concluded, Guthrie came to Melvin’s defense: “Well, it must be a little bit surreal for you to hear the former president talking about you, but I think the tape speaks for itself. You, of course, did not assert that he never apologized, you asked whether he had apologized.”
Melvin advised viewers to watch the full unedited interview and judge for themselves: “By the way, our full conversation with him and James Patterson, it lasted for 22 minutes. The conversation about Me Too had some minor edits for clarity and length. We have put the entire uncut interview on our website and we encourage you to take a look and listen to it.”
Even CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King thought Clinton’s attacks on NBC were wrong, responding to his Colbert appearance on Wednesday morning: “And I didn’t think it was right for him to now say he thought NBC edited it to make it sound like he didn’t apologize – I heard that he apologized, we heard that.”
During Monday’s testy exchange on NBC, Clinton accused Melvin of “giving one side and omitting facts.”
NBC’s dust-up with Clinton is a far cry from when the network hired Chelsea Clinton as Nightly News correspondent in 2011, whom they reportedly paid $600,000 for only a handful of reports. Of course that was back when the liberal media were convinced Hillary Clinton was going to be president.
Here is a full transcript of the June 6 report on the Today show:
7:06 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Also this morning, the former president, Bill Clinton, expressing some regret over his controversial remarks about Monica Lewinsky here on Today, but still making false allegations about that interview with Craig.
CRAIG MELVIN: Overnight, the former president said his interview with us was not his, quote, “finest hour.” Speaking with Mr. Colbert, Mr. Clinton made another public apology for his behavior during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, but also took issue with the questions we asked him earlier this week.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Clinton Apology Controversy; Acknowledges “Not My Finest Hour” Amidst Criticism]
STEPHEN COLBERT: I watched you on the Today show yesterday morning. I noticed you didn’t enjoy that entire interview.
MELVIN: Overnight, on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Bill Clinton responding again to his contentious interview that aired Monday here on Today.
COLBERT: My question is, would you like a do-over on that answer?
MELVIN: The former president appearing to suggest that NBC News took his words out of context.
BILL CLINTON: When I saw the interview, I thought that because they had to, you know, distill it, and it looked like I was saying I didn’t apologize and I had no intention to, and I was mad at me.
MELVIN: At issue, Mr. Clinton’s comments on Monica Lewinsky and whether he ever apologized to the former White House intern for the sex scandal 20 years ago that led to his impeachment.
CLINTON: I didn’t like this one because it started with an assertion that basically I had never apologized, as if I had never tried to come to grips with it. And as if there had been no attempt to hold me accountable.
MELVIN: In fact, the exchange began with a question.
MELVIN [TO CLINTON]: Did you ever apologize to her?
CLINTON: Yes. And nobody believes that I got out of that for free. I left the White House $16 million in debt. But you typically have ignored gaping facts in describing this and I bet you don’t even know them.
MELVIN: I asked if you’d ever apologized and you said you have.
CLINTON: I have.
MELVIN: You’ve apologized to her?
CLINTON: I apologized to everybody in the world.
MELVIN: But you didn’t apologize to her?
CLINTON: I have not talked to her.
MELVIN: Do you feel like you owe her an apology?
CLINTON: No. I do – I do not – I never talked to her, but I did say publicly on more than one occasion that I was sorry. That’s very different, the apology was public.
MELVIN: And you don’t think a private apology’s owed?
JAMES PATTERSON: I think this thing is 20 years ago. Come on.
MELVIN: Our report included part of Mr. Clinton’s public apology 20 years ago, which the former president expressed again last night, saying his Today interview wasn’t his best moment.
CLINTON: It wasn’t my finest hour, but the important thing is, that was a very painful thing that happened 20 years ago, and I apologized to my family, to Monica Lewinsky and her family, and to the American people. I meant it then, I meant it now. And I’ve had to live with the consequences every day since.
MELVIN: Tuesday night, Mr. Clinton also appeared at a New York Times event in Manhattan.
CLINTON: What surprised me was the flat-out assertion that I’d never apologized.
MELVIN: Echoing his comments to Colbert acknowledging his own missteps while taking NBC to task.
CLINTON: I got mad about not being asked about it, and I should have remembered that that man is young enough to be my son. I messed up and I own that, and no mistake by anybody else, including that young man aggressively saying I didn’t apologize can justify the fact that I got mad when I should have been saying I got a chance to tell a whole new generation that the journey I’ve been on the last 20 years is one the country has to take.
GUTHRIE: Well, it must be a little bit surreal for you to hear the former president talking about you, but I think the tape speaks for itself.
MELVIN: Yeah.
GUTHRIE: You, of course, did not assert that he never apologized, you asked whether he had apologized.
MELVIN: Thank you very much. Mr. Clinton also told Colbert last night that he believes that the Me Too movement is long overdue, necessary, should be supported as well.
By the way, our full conversation with him and James Patterson, it lasted for 22 minutes. The conversation about Me Too had some minor edits for clarity and length. We have put the entire uncut interview on our website and we encourage you to take a look and listen to it. It’s at today.com.
