On Wednesday, the State Department will release 6,000 more pages of Hillary Clinton’s e-mails but NBC’s Today was the only network morning show to cover this news whereas ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning ignored the story altogether.
In a full report, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell stressed that the e-mail release was a result of a “court order” which will continue the “drip, drip, drip that Hillary Clinton has acknowledged is haunting her campaign.”
The NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent did point out the hit the e-mail scandal has had on Clinton’s polling but used it as an opportunity to tease a potential Joe Biden candidacy:
The e-mails will be pored over by Clinton's political opponents and independent fact-checkers in the press just as she is sliding further in the polls, especially in comparison to Joe Biden. He was teased about a possible run at the U.N. Tuesday.
Mitchell continued to use Clinton’s e-mails to help boost Biden as “the most popular candidate in either party if he runs” but made sure to tout Bill Clinton’s defense of his wife:
The vice president would also outperform Clinton in hypothetical matchups with any of the top-tier Republicans. Clinton now acknowledges the e-mail controversy is hurting. Her husband suggested Republicans are keeping it alive.
Not to be outdone, the NBC reporter wrapped up her coverage by offering up another subtle promotion of a Biden candidacy and explained that the e-mail scandal will likely not go away anytime soon:
Now most of the e-mails to be released today are from 2010 and 2011. After today there will still be four more releases all the way through January. That ensures this could well remain an issue for Clinton all the way up to when voters are making their first decisions in those primaries and caucuses in February.
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Today
September 30, 2015
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: As we said, more of Hillary Clinton's e-mails are being made public today. NBC's Andrea Mitchell is in Washington with more on that. Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Good morning to you, Savannah. Well, under court order today, 6,000 more pages of Hillary Clinton's e-mails will be released by the State Department continuing the drip, drip, drip that Hillary Clinton has acknowledged is haunting her campaign. The e-mails will be pored over by Clinton's political opponents and independent fact-checkers in the press just as she is sliding further in the polls, especially in comparison to Joe Biden. He was teased about a possible run at the U.N. Tuesday.
KRISTIAN JENSEN: Mr. President, vice president, sorry, I'm -- well, could have been, can be, who knows.
MITCHELL: In our new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Biden would be the most popular candidate in either party if he runs. The vice president would also outperform Clinton in hypothetical matchups with any of the top-tier Republicans. Clinton now acknowledges the e-mail controversy is hurting. Her husband suggested Republicans are keeping it alive.
BILL CLINTON: I trust the American people. They will get this. They will work through it. They will understand that they are being sent a heavy signal we don't want to run against this woman. Just give us somebody else.
MITCHELL: Now most of the e-mails to be released today are from 2010 and 2011. After today there will still be four more releases all the way through January. That ensures this could well remain an issue for Clinton all the way up to when voters are making their first decisions in those primaries and caucuses in February.
