After three pieces of news surfaced on Wednesday regarding the many Clinton scandals, the major broadcast networks refused to cover any of them and further extends the network blackout to six days since any of them were last mentioned on a network morning or evening newscast.
While the networks skimped on these stories, the Fox News Channel’s Special Report offered a full report from correspondent Ed Henry that touched on news that a Democratic member of Congress has called for an independent review of Clinton’s e-mails, a House committee hearing covered her e-mail scandal, and a report that Bill Clinton took in $26 million from a Swedish group that was lobbying the State Department on Iran sanctions.
Regarding the first story, Henry explained that, while “Hillary Clinton joked about her e-mail server behind closed doors,” Democratic Congressman Mike Capuano (Mass.) told a Boston radio station that he believes that Hillary Clinton’s e-mails should be subject to an independent review.
Henry added that Capuano “does not believe Republicans on the Hill will be fair, so an independent umpire needs to investigate whether only personal e-mail was deleted.”
Later, FNC’s chief White House correspondent briefly summarized the findings of an article published in Wednesday’s Washington Times:
Today, The Washington Times reported the former President collected $26 million for the foundation from a fundraising arm in Sweden while that country lobbied the Secretary of State on sanctions that threatened its business with Iran.
Henry also touched on the results of the latest Fox News poll concerning Clinton’s candidacy before mentioning that Clinton’s e-mail scandal came up during a House Oversight Committee hearing:
Her speech will be her interview. The New York Post reported at a closed-door fundraiser on Monday that Clinton joked the White House would not have been hacked if they used her server. No laughing matter for Republican Trey Gowdy, who pressed a State Department official on why there’s not a complete record of her e-mail.
With Wednesday’s omission of the Clinton scandals across the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC, this marks six days since any of the Clinton scandals were mentioned on a morning or evening newscast of NBC, 11 days since that occurred on CBS and 10 days since a Clinton scandal came up on an ABC newscast.
As for a few examples of what the networks covered instead, NBC Nightly News touted the Los Angeles City Council’s decision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and noted how Seattle and San Francisco have already done so, but neglected to offer any opposing viewpoint or drawback to this policy.
Over on the CBS Evening News, a full report was devoted to the prospects that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will approve a pill enhancing sexual desire for women that many view as the female-equivalent to Viagra and Cialis. On Tuesday, the same story received a segment on NBC Nightly News.
The relevant portions of the transcript from FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier on June 3 can be found below.
FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier
June 3, 2015
6:00 p.m. Eastern
BRET BAIER: But first, chief White House correspondent Ed Henry how the controversies over Hillary Clinton's private e-mail and questionable donations to the Clinton Foundation are having an effect on voters. Good evening, Ed.
ED HENRY: Good evening, Bret. Clinton aides continue to insist these controversies are just a Republican fascination. Our new poll suggests otherwise. While Hillary Clinton joked about her e-mail server behind closed doors, a Democrat went public today with his view the server should be turned over to a judge. Congressman Mike Capuano saying he does not believe Republicans on the Hill will be fair, so an independent umpire needs to investigate whether only personal e-mail was deleted.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN MIKE CAPUANO (Mass.) [on Boston Herald Radio]: Have some neutral server, not the U.S. Congress that's clearly going after a political witch hunt here, but, to have, you know, appoint, you know, I don’t know, some individual judge that everybody trusts or something to go through them and make a determination as to what is or what is not appropriately subject to public scrutiny.
(....)
HENRY: Today, The Washington Times reported the former President collected $26 million for the foundation from a fundraising arm in Sweden while that country lobbied the Secretary of State on sanctions that threatened its business with Iran. As the candidate prepares to deliver a speech in Houston Thursday on voting rights at Texas Southern University, university officials sent the media an admonition that there will be, quote, “no opportunities to interview Hillary Clinton.” Her speech will be her interview. The New York Post reported at a closed-door fundraiser on Monday that Clinton joked the White House would not have been hacked if they used her server. No laughing matter for Republican Trey Gowdy, who pressed a State Department official on why there’s not a complete record of her e-mail.
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN TREY GOWDY (S.C.)[TO BARR] : Are you processing what was originally on her server or are you processing what she provided to you?
STATE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT SECRETARY JOYCE BARR: We are processing what she provided to us.
