Soon after the end of Sunday’s presidential debate, CNN’s senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar rushed to the event’s spin room to lob softball questions to John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chair. “Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton the devil but also made a threat that if he were in charge of the laws of the country that he would jail her, that he would imprison her. What's the campaign's reaction,” Keilar asked, while completely ignoring Clinton’s latest WikiLeaks controversy.
Keilar’s other inquires included questions about what kind of signal she was sending to voters who find Trump’s comments disgusting. The CNN reporter posed no questions to Podesta about possible private positions Clinton has on issues that may be in opposition to ones she has in public, as alleged in leaked passages of her Wall Street speeches.
In stark contrast, Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was mercilessly grilled by chief political correspondent Dana Bash. “You're his campaign manager, the only woman at the head of that campaign. What did you think when you saw and you heard that? Truthfully, what was your reaction,” Bash demanded to know. Conway’s response was, “My initial reaction was very close to what Melania Trump said,” to which Bash was left seeming quite shocked.
Conway took exception to Bash calling Trump’s comments sexual assault, which triggered an intense back-and-forth with Bash snapping and Conway with every response:
CONWAY: That's a very unfortunate phrase and people should stop using it.
BASH: Why?
CONWAY: Because I know him better. And I know better.
BASH: It's what he said.
CONWAY: He did not say sexual assault.
BASH: No, it’s what he implied he wanted to do.
Conway seemed to halt Bash in her tracks by reminding her who was sitting in the audience that night. “I know CNN doesn't want to interview them for whatever reason,” she countered, “You give miss universe a big platform, but we have in the hall tonight Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey and Paula Jones and Kathy Shelton the twelve year-old rape victim… So, we can talk about sexual assault but let's have a full conversation about it.”
Transcript below:
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CNN
Debate Night in America
October 10, 2016
11:07:50 PM…
BRIANNA KEILAR: I have Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Chair John Podesta and I want to get you reaction to something first. Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton the devil but also made a threat that if he were in charge of the laws of the country that he would jail her, that he would imprison her. What's the campaign's reaction?
JOHN PODESTA: Well, you know, it's one more over the top statement by Donald Trump and fortunately he's not in charge of the laws of the United States and never will be. But I think that maybe he was trying to appeal to his base. What we've seen over the last few weeks and particularly over the last few days are Republicans peeling off of him in droves. So maybe all he’s got left is his base. So, call her the devil is beneath a presidential candidate and one more reason he doesn't have the temperament to do the job of being president or being the commander in chief.
…
11:42:39 PM Eastern
DANA BASH: Kellyanne, I want to ask you about what he said at the beginning of the debate. More than one time he referred, once again, to what he said on that tape as “locker room talk.” You're his campaign manager, the only woman at the head of that campaign. What did you think when you saw and you heard that? Truthfully, what was your reaction?
KELLYANNE CONWAY: My initial reaction was very close to what Melania Trump said. I was offended and I think the language is offensive and disgusting and I'm very happy he apologized. I'm glad that he holds himself—excuse me, accountable because I look at the full measure of people, what they've said, what they've done, Dana, and how they deal with adversity that comes to him—to them. And Donald Trump is absolutely correct. These are words compared to actions. And he made that very clear tonight that Hillary Clinton blaming and shaming the women in her husband's life, that is not standing up for women.
BASH: But, the term “locker room talk,” you had the highest ranking woman in Congress, Republican woman, Kathy McMorris Rogers blowing that off and saying, “no, no, no this is suggesting sexual assault and –
CONWAY: That's a very unfortunate phrase and people should stop using it.
BASH: Why?
CONWAY: Because I know him better. And I know better.
BASH: It's what he said.
CONWAY: He did not say sexual assault.
BASH: No, it’s what he implied he wanted to do.
CONWAY: If you want to talk about sexual assault right here in the hall, I know CNN doesn't want to interview them for whatever reason. You give miss universe a big platform, but we have in the hall tonight Juanita Broaddrick and Kathleen Willey and Paula Jones and Kathy Shelton the twelve year-old rape victim, who two years before the rape shield laws were implemented in Arkansas Hillary Clinton defending her 42 year-old rapist, successfully defending him. Getting him a plea bargain She was able to blame and shame that victim as well, who was 12 years-old.
So, we can talk about sexual assault but let's have a full conversation about it.
…
