On Tuesday's New Day on CNN, during a discussion of how the latest poll numbers might affect the upcoming Republican presidential debate, co-anchor Chris Cuomo predicted that the debate would include discussion of the revelation that Hillary Clinton initially told people close to her that Benghazi was a terrorist attack before switching to the discredited story of a video merely inciting a violent protest.
Cuomo first brought up the issue of Clinton changing stories as he turned to right-leaning commentator Kevin Madden and posed:
I think that something we will hear a lot about is that Hillary Clinton lied in the aftermath of Benghazi to the American people, as did the White House by extension, and was telling two different stories about what happened to those she knows and to the rest of us. How do you think that's going to play tomorrow night, Kevin?
When liberal CNN commentator Paul Begala tried to spin in Clinton's defense, Cuomo shot back by noting her "two different stories." Cuomo:
Oh, but it came out that she told two different stories about what happened in the aftermath, Paul.
After Begala persisted in defending the former Secretary of State, and seemed to mock Cuomo over the possibility of "spending 11 hours" again investigating Clinton's changing stories, the CNN co-host further questioned Clinton's honesty. Cuomo:
I think you can take care of it in 20 minutes. There was some reason that they decided to make this more about the video and the protests, for whatever optics, than what they knew to be true, which was that they had gotten caught by surprise by a terrorist attack.
An annoyed Begala hit back:
That's baloney. They went with what the CIA told them. That's what they did. The political people weren't even involved in that. It was the CIA and the national security team trying to figure out what the hell happened in a place where, frankly, we didn't know what was going on at the moment because it was the fog of war.
But people want, if you think, I mean, we just watched, if you think the Republicans are going to get any traction after spending 11 hours on this and getting their rear ends kicked, you know, I wish them well. I hope they make a permanent committee on Benghazi.
After ending the segment due to time constraints, Cuomo and co-host Alisyn Camerota went back and forth a bit more, with Cuomo asserting that, "just because they (Republicans) don't get traction" on Clinton changing stories, "doesn't mean it's not true":
CHRIS CUOMO: We got to cut it there. I shouldn't have brought it up. It was supposed to be about the poll. But the truth sometimes gets in my way.
ALISYN CAMEROTA: I know, but you injected the controversy into it, and, of course, this is going to come up, I'm sure, in the debate tomorrow. Paul, Kevin, thank you very much. I saw your metza metz there that, that's what you gave it.
CUOMO: Look, just because they don't get traction doesn't mean it's not true. That's all.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Tuesday, October 27, New Day on CNN:
7:30 a.m.
CHRIS CUOMO: To Kevin's point, tomorrow night, I think that something we will hear a lot about is that Hillary Clinton lied in the aftermath of Benghazi to the American people, as did the White House by extension, and was telling two different stories about what happened to those she knows and to the rest of us. How do you think that's going to play tomorrow night, Kevin?
KEVIN MADDEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think that certainly will come up. The issue of Benghazi is, I think, a motivating one for many partisan Republicans, and I expect partisan Republicans are the ones many of these candidates are trying to appeal to because they're the ones who are tuning into this debate to see which candidate can draw the strongest contrast.Now, I think the candidate that ultimately does best when they're talking about Benghazi is the one that focuses on the substance and then pivots quickly to a more advanced policy agenda on national security and foreign policy. Candidates that do that, I think, are going to win, rather than just focusing on trying to play investigator through the lens of the House Benghazi committee.
ALIYSN CAMEROTA: Paul, you don't want to address Hillary's lies, do you? (LAUGHS)
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The just -- first off, she didn't lie.
CAMEROTA (SMILING): I know.
BEGALA: She kicked their ass -- excuse my language -- she kicked their rear ends-
CUOMO: Oh, but it came out that she told two different stories about what happened in the aftermath, Paul.
BEGALA: Yes, of course, because she was getting two different sets of information. Come on, Christopher, you know -- I've worked in the government. The early reports are always overtaken by events.
CUOMO: So she just happened to tell people that she knew that it was a terrorist attack and then changed?
CAMEROTA: I mean, she said, "I know."BEGALA: Yes, because I'm sure al-Sharia took credit for it at the same time the CIA was saying, "No, this looks like." There were five or six other protests going on, some of them including violent attacks, that were spurred by that video. If you want to spend 11 hours on this the way the Republicans did, I wish you well. She kicked their butt.
CUOMO: I think you can take care of it in 20 minutes. There was some reason that they decided to make this more about the video and the protests, for whatever optics, than what they knew to be true, which was that they had gotten caught by surprise by a terrorist attack.
BEGALA: That's baloney. They went with what the CIA told them. That's what they did. The political people weren't even involved in that. It was the CIA and the national security team trying to figure out what the hell happened in a place where, frankly, we didn't know what was going on at the moment because it was the fog of war.But people want, if you think, I mean, we just watched, if you think the Republicans are going to get any traction after spending 11 hours on this and getting their rear ends kicked, you know, I wish them well. I hope they make a permanent committee on Benghazi.
CUOMO: We got to cut it there. I shouldn't have brought it up. It was supposed to be about the poll. But the truth sometimes gets in my way.
CAMEROTA: I know, but you injected the controversy into it, and, of course, this is going to come up, I'm sure, in the debate tomorrow. Paul, Kevin, thank you very much. I saw your metza metz there that, that's what you gave it.
CUOMO: Look, just because they don't get traction doesn't mean it's not true. That's all.
