On two occasions during CNN’s New Day on Friday, CNN personalities raised the often-used liberal argument that Republicans have “overplayed their hand” on a scandal with the latest being their handling of the allegations surrounding the Clinton Foundation.
The first person to raise the point was CNN political commentator and NY1 host Errol Louis while discussing the story with CNN’s senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny and co-hosts Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota in the 6:30 a.m. half-hour.
Leading into Louis’s point, Camerota queued up a soundbite from 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney where he stated that the new questions raised by multiple news outlets and the upcoming book Clinton Cash make it appear as though there was “bribery” involved:
It looks like bribery. I mean there's every appearance that Hillary Clinton was bribed to grease the sale of, what, 20 percent of America's uranium production to Russia, and then it was covered up by lying about a meeting at her home with the principals and by erasing e-mails.
Asked what he thought of Romeny’s take and if Clinton should respond, Louis opined that: “Well, as usual, they have sort of overplayed their hand.” Immediately, Cuomo jumped in and asked Louis to elaborate to which the NY1 host replied [emphasis mine]:
Well, I mean, to say that it's bribery. I mean, there's absolutely no evidence of that. So, it goes too far. I think the appearance of the conflict is serious enough. The fact that 20 percent of uranium reserves in the United States are now under the control of a Russian – basically the Russian government for all intents and purposes, that's serious stuff. I mean, that’s real enough, but to say that she was bribed, you don't have the evidence for that. Mitt Romney doesn't have the evidence for that.
Not long after that, Zeleny parroted a Clinton campaign talking point about there being no quid-pro-quo with the donations coming in while the uranium deal was taking place: “The big picture here is there's no huge smoking gun so far in this book as we know now.”
When Cuomo pressed Zeleny and asked why these allegations don’t present a smoking gun, Zeleny backtracked slightly: “I’m not saying it’s not a serious situation. That’s going to be up for voters to decide and the campaign to clarify, but there is no direct link that she was involved in this decision as secretary [of state].”
Later in the show’s “Inside Politics” segment, host John King played another clip from Romney’s interview with Hewitt and then declared that the former GOP presidential candidate used “strong words” and warned that “Republicans need to be careful too.”
King then continued lecturing Republicans about their strategy going forward: “One of the mistakes Republicans often make is that they go too far in criticizing the Clintons and give the Clintons the avenue to say this is political, but those are strong words from a guy who is usually careful about what he says.”
The media’s assertion that Republicans “overplay” a scandal or issue is nothing new. Back on April 12, NBC’s Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd asked Hewitt if Republican “obsession” with “beating Clinton” ever becoming “too much.”
When the IRS scandal first broke, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos wondered to Jonathan Karl on the May 17, 2013 edition of Good Morning America if Republican “leaders” were already “worried that some of the Republicans may be overplaying their hand.” In response, Karl agreed that it was a “real concern.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from CNN’s New Day on April 24 can be found below.
CNN’s New Day
April 24, 2015
6:53 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Developments; Transparency an Issue for Hillary Clinton?]
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Just in case our viewers don't know what the case in point is here, it's called Uranium One.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Developments; New Questions About Clinton Foundation]
This is a mining – uranium mining company and as we heard from Jeff, they – this company made a donation of $2.3 million to the Clinton Foundation during the time that the State Department was deciding whether or not to sign off on a deal. Mitt Romney yesterday was on a radio show. He spoke about this in very harsh terms. Listen to this.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Developments; Mitt Romney: Clinton Donations “Look Like Bribery”]
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: New Developments; Mitt Romney: Clinton Donations “Look Like Bribery”]
MITT ROMNEY: It looks like bribery. I mean there's every appearance that Hillary Clinton was bribed to grease the sale of, what, 20 percent of America's uranium production to Russia, and then it was covered up by lying about a meeting at her home with the principals and by erasing e-mails.
CAMEROTA: So, I mean, Errol, Republicans are not going to let this go away. Does she need to confront it head-on?
NY1 ANCHOR ERROL LEWIS: Well, as usual, they have sort of overplayed their hand. I mean, this is –
CHRIS CUOMO: How?
LEWIS: Well, I mean, to say that it's bribery. I mean, there's absolutely no evidence of that. So, it goes too far. I think the appearance of the conflict is serious enough. The fact that 20 percent of uranium reserves in the United States are now under the control of a Russian – basically the Russian government for all intents and purposes, that's serious stuff. I mean, that’s real enough, but to say that she was bribed, you don't have the evidence for that. Mitt Romney doesn't have the evidence for that.
(....)
7:31 a.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Inside Politics; Growing Scrutiny for Clinton Foundation]
JOHN KING: Listen to Mitt Romney, Robert, he was on The Hugh Hewitt Show yesterday and he takes this a bit further and I expect we're going to hear a lot of this in the campaign.
MITT ROMNEY: I was stunned by it. I mean, it looks like bribery. You know, I presume we might know for sure whether there was or was not bribery if she hadn’t, you know, wiped out thousands of e-mails, but this is a very, very serious – series of facts, and it looked like bribery.
KING: Now, Romney making the case there that because the State Department was among the cabinet agencies that had to approve this deal and the Clinton foundation is taking money at about the same time, he's calling it bribery. Now, those are strong words and Republicans need to be careful too. One of the mistakes Republicans often make is that they go too far in criticizing the Clintons and give the Clintons the avenue to say this is political, but those are strong words from a guy who is usually careful about what he says.
