As CNN's Jeffrey Toobin appeared as a panel member on Wednesday's CNN Tonight, the network's senior legal analyst was wound up with anti-Republican sentiments as he derided Republican Rep. Devin Nunes as either "clueless" or "corrupt," whined that "sanctimonious" FBI director James Comey "beat Hillary Clinton," and dismissed talk of the Clinton Foundation accepting money from Russia as "talk radio nonsense."
During a panel segment where conservative CNN political commentator Andre Bauer was outnumbered 5-1, host Don Lemon wondered, "Does Nunes have any credibility left?" After the Washington Post's Sally Quinn laughed and replied, "No," Toobin took aim at Nunes as he cracked: "I think there are three possibilities -- that Nunes is clueless, that he is corrupt, or he's both. And those are the only three possibilities."
Liberal CNN political analyst Carl Bernstein then chimed in: "No. And Republicans should stop defending him. That's the important thing."
After a commercial break, Lemon played a clip of Comey from a recent speech in which he praised the FBI's behavior as politically neutral. After the clip concluded, Toobin immediately began ranting:
What a bunch of sanctimonious nonsense. You know, there's the guy who beat Hillary Clinton by breaking Justice Department policy and announcing investigations of Hillary Clinton on the eve of the election. The idea that he somehow was unaware he's so unaware of the political implications of his work. What a bunch of nonsense that was.
Bauer burst out laughing at Toobin's over the top liberal bias and quipped: "He saved her from jail."
Earlier in the show, as the subject of the Clinton Foundation receiving contributions from Russians, Lemon wondered: "But I don't understand what the Clinton Foundation and any of that has to do -- Jeffrey?"
Toobin griped:
It's just like, you know, talk radio nonsense to try to distract attention away from what's going on with the actual President of the United States as opposed to the candidate who lost. But, you know, look, apparently that's going to be the Republican talking point here.
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Wednesday, March 29, CNN Tonight:
10:09 p.m. ET
DON LEMON: But I don't understand what the Clinton Foundation and any of that has to do -- Jeffrey?JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's just like, you know, talk radio nonsense to try to distract attention away from what's going on with the actual President of the United States as opposed to the candidate who lost. But, you know, look, apparently that's going to be the Republican talking point here.
The key mystery here is you have an acknowledged Russian attempt to sway the election to Trump. You have all these Trump campaign efforts to ingratiate themselves with Russia, whether it's Jared Kushner or Jeff Sessions or Michael Flynn. All of them seem to be going out of their way to help one leader in the whole world -- Vladimir Putin.
Now, the question, which is very much unanswered at this point, is whether those two stories connect in any way. Was this attempt to get Russia, you know, to ingratiate ourselves with Russia, related to Russia's attempt to defeat Hillary Clinton. I don't know. but it certainly seems worthy of investigation.
(...)
LEMON: Does Nunes have any credibility left?
SALLY QUINN, WASHINGTON POST CONTRIBUTOR: Well, here's -- (laughs) -- no. The answer to that question is, he has no credibility.
LEMON: Do you think he has any credibility or not? I'm going to ask the panel. Let me ask, and then I'll get back to you. Do you think he has credibility or not?
TOOBIN: I think there are three possibilities -- that Nunes is clueless, that he is corrupt, or he's both.
LEMON: Yeah.
TOOBIN: And those are the only three possibilities.
LEMON: Carl, does he have any credibility left?
CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: No.
LEMON: Kirsten Powers?
BERNSTEIN: And Republicans should stop defending him. That's the important thing.
(...)
JAMES COMEY, FBI DIRECTOR: Most people are wearing glasses that filter the world according to side. And this is a challenge that I face when I testify in front of Congress -- and it's not a criticism of Congress. It's -- they see facts as to how it will affect "my side. How does that argument affect my side?" And when counter people -- and I'm just one of 37,000 that are like this at the FBI -- who never consider side, it's confusing.
TOOBIN: What a bunch of sanctimonious nonsense. You know, there's the guy who beat Hillary Clinton by breaking Justice Department policy and announcing investigations of Hillary Clinton on the eve of the election. The idea that he somehow was unaware --
ANDRE BAUER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: He saved her from jail.
TOOBIN: -- he's so unaware of the political implications of his work. What a bunch of nonsense that was.
