As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, Thursday’s NBC Today devoted a minute-long segment to discussing newly-released Hillary Clinton e-mails. However, rather than focus on the former Secretary of State seeking advice from political hatchet man Sidney Blumenthal or top Obama administration officials knowing she was using private e-mail, the morning show instead speculated on Clinton’s reference to “Santa” in a couple messages.
Leading off the What’s Trending segment in the 8 a.m. ET hour [which was not aired in the Washington D.C. metro area due to local coverage of a possible shooting at the D.C. Navy Yard], co-host Savannah Guthrie proclaimed: “Hillary Clinton and her secret Santa. No, we are not talking about Christmas gifts. Talking about the mystery that’s been sparked after this latest release of her e-mails. A lot of people asking, ‘Who is this person she’s calling Santa in e-mails?’”
Guthrie quoted one of the exchanges: “[Clinton] wrote this to a member of her staff: ‘I’m seeing Santa at 8:30 so won’t take off until closer to 9:30. Is that okay?’” She wondered: “So who is Santa? That is the question. Some are saying maybe it’s the hairdresser.”
Turning to her fellow co-hosts, Guthrie asked: “Any guesses around here?” Fellow co-host Carson Daly offered the most interesting answer: “I have no idea. A shrink?”
In a news brief on Wednesday, anchor Natalie Morales noted that the latest e-mail release “leaves little doubt that the Obama administration was aware of her personal e-mail address” given that “Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod both had requested Clinton's e-mail.”
Here is a transcript of the July 2 exchange:
8:12 AM ET
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: First up on Trending this morning, Hillary Clinton and her secret Santa. No, we are not talking about Christmas gifts. Talking about the mystery that’s been sparked after this latest release of her e-mails. A lot of people asking, “Who is this person she’s calling Santa in e-mails?”
Take a look at this. Mrs. Clinton, okay she’s known as “H” in a lot of these e-mails, wrote this to a member of her staff: “I’m seeing Santa at 8:30 so won’t take off until closer to 9:30. Is that okay?” Well, that was in July.
In another e-mail, she wrote, “The timing, however is hard for a visit since I need to see Santa around 7:45.” That was in September.
So who is Santa? That is the question. Some are saying maybe it’s the hairdresser.
NATALIE MORALES: Bill?
MATT LAUER: No, I don’t think he’s Santa. I don’t know, it could be anybody. And I would imagine at some event in the next day or so someone’s going to yell out-
GUTHRIE: “Who’s Santa?”
LAUER: Yeah, exactly. And we’ll see if she’ll answer the question.
GUTHRIE: Any guesses around here?
CARSON DALY: I have no idea. A shrink?
GUTHRIE: Interesting. Well, it is an hour-long session.
DALY: Yeah.
GUTHRIE: But only happened twice.
