CNN Interviews Student Used in Hillary’s Plant-Gate

Photo of Noel Sheppard.
By Noel Sheppard (Bio | Archive)
November 13, 2007 - 17:42 ET

As NewsBuster Mark Finkelstein reported Monday, the scandal surrounding Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign actually planting questioners at events is starting to grow.

In fact, CNN aired an exclusive interview with one of the plants Tuesday, while posting an article on the subject at its website.

What follows is a partial transcript of this segment from Tuesday's "American Morning" (video available here):

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JOHN ROBERTS, ANCHOR: A college student who asked Hillary Clinton about global warming at a campaign appearance in Iowa says she was given the question by Clinton's staffers. The college student says she wanted to ask about energy policy, but was given a question on climate change instead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURIEL GALLO-CHASANOFF, WAS GIVEN SCRIPTED QUESTION: On the way over there in the car, they asked me if I would ask the senator a question. I said, sure, you know? I'd love to ask her a question. And when we got there, we were there a little bit early. They brought me to one of the senior staffers and he asked me if there was any question I wanted to ask. And I kind of thought about it and IED, yeah, can I ask how her energy plan considers to the other candidates energy plan? He said, well, I don't think that is a good idea. He said I don't know how familiar she is with her plans. He showed me in his binder, he had piece of paper with typed out questions on it and the first one was planned specifically to a college student, said like college student. When I asked him how it worked, he said raise your hand when she asks for questions, raise your hand and she'll call on you. So, I mean, I don't know for sure that she knew in advance but there were like 200 people there and everyone is raising their hand. I was 1 out of 4. That doesn't seem random exactly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Not exactly random. The Clinton campaign admits the staffer encouraged the question but insists that Senator Clinton wasn't aware of it, though she called on the student, 1 out of 4, she said. 

Kudos go out to CNN for this report. It will be interesting to see whether this video is aired during prime time this evening.

Stay tuned. 

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.


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As amazed as it sounds, I'm

November 13, 2007 - 17:48 ET by LighthouseJ

As amazed as it sounds, I'm eager to see some the Democratic debate on Thursday to see how the other candidates take her previous debate performance as a jumping-off point for more attacks on Thursday.

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that's not what they're made for." -- Maritime quote

Lighthouse... Same here.

November 13, 2007 - 17:59 ET by bigtimer

Lighthouse...

Same here. I am so glad I caught the debate with Russert it couldn't of been better, now with the warnings that are being put out to Wolfie by Hillary team..it will be double the pleasure just to watch....I hope anyway.

I caught the last half of a report by Wolf this afternoon about this very issue Noel is bringing up here ...so it doesn't look as if he is backing down any to her so far...like I said in an early post after seeing this, he may be sending a message right back to her.

Time will tell...

 

We'll see what Hillary does

November 13, 2007 - 18:57 ET by LighthouseJ

We'll see what Hillary does now that she can't put confederates in the audience. I'd personally want nothing more than Obama and Edwards to snowball Hillary's corrupted nature and produce it for all the Hillary voters to see how close they came to a massive mistake.

I talk on another political area and it's amazing how brainwashed some of those people are. It's a strange combination of zombie-like apathy and rabid fanboyism on some peoples part. They can only parrot their enthusiasm for Hillary to the limit it can be expressed using Hillary08 stationary but anyone that dare question gets recycled dry insults. I'd like to read some FBI profiles of likely Hillary Clinton voters, that would be a journey into the unknown.

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that's not what they're made for." -- Maritime quote

Great Example of Democrat Feminist College Chics

November 13, 2007 - 17:59 ET by Lame Cherry

MURIEL GALLO-CHASANOFF, I know I would have 3 names if my all those Gallo's had discovered America, walked on the moon and of course everyone knows of President Chasanoff who discovered the cure for cancer...........

Nothing like a liberal Hamrod Clinton calling attention to nobody family names whose only claim to fame is being a name no one would want.

Add to Muriel the poster girl for the Hillary campaign is the makeup which looks like roofing tar and she either has a problem pushing away from the feed trough or has a year supply of free John Kerry botox injections.

And for the pinnacle of ClintonDUMB, this 3 named wonder like Hillary is too stupid to have a bright question to ask and needs to attach herself to someone infamous to give her life meaning.

MURIEL GALLO-CHASANOFF, the nobody Gallo's and the Chasanoff comrades all must be so proud of having you call attention to their Ma and Pa Kettle Kennedy connections.

We now return you to reruns of Cagney and Lacey.

 

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

Hillary's problem...

November 13, 2007 - 18:00 ET by goldenthroat

Hillary Clinton. A legend in her own mind.

"Yeah! That's the ticket!" - Tommy Flanagan

Clinton Plant

November 13, 2007 - 18:25 ET by Blonde

It gets even juicier...go over and read the entire article at CNN.

During the course of the late-night interview on Grinnell's campus, Gallo-Chasanoff also said that the day before the school's newspaper, Scarlet and Black, printed the story, she wanted the reporter to inform the campaign out of courtesy to let them know it would be published.

She said the "head of publicity for the campaign," a man whose name she could not recall, had no factual disputes with the story. But, she added, a Clinton intern spoke to her to say the campaign requested she not talk about the story to any more media outlets and that if she did she should inform a staffer.

"I'm not under any real obligation to do that, and I haven't talked to [the campaign] anymore," Gallo-Chasanoff said, adding that she doesn't plan to.

Don't you love the whole control thing?  Only I suspect the Clinton campaign has somehow pulled the steering wheel off this bus. 

Can't wait for Thursday night....somebody pass the pop-corn.  

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Well done

November 13, 2007 - 19:00 ET by LighthouseJ

Well done putting the control factor into focus. I hope the control factor reaches a state of meltdown. If there's one benefit to this 2008 election cycle is that starting early portends a downfall of the first frontrunner, in this case, Hillary

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that's not what they're made for." -- Maritime quote

Meltdown

November 13, 2007 - 19:15 ET by Blonde

Thanks, Lighthouse. I've been predicting a Hillary meltdown, a la the Wicked Witch of the West, for quite a while. 

I think what's now happening is that the Clinton campaign over-reacted to Hillary's little mis-step during the last debate.  Thrashed around....sending in Bill on his white horse, Hillary playing the picked on chick, and fatally, going after Tim Russert.  The press hates that.  Hillary jumped the shark.

So, now the sharks have turned, and are circling back. 

And the Clinton campaign keeps trying to screw their message in tighter (more narrowly controlling everything), only they've stripped the threads.  The whole thing is wobbling. 

Wow...talk about mixing metaphors, sorry. 

P.S.  Love your tag.

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Thanks back. If I may

November 13, 2007 - 19:28 ET by LighthouseJ

Thanks back.

If I may introduce a few more metaphors...

I think you're right, the Clinton camp doesn't want the gravy train to stop but it has such a long way to go yet. I'd like things to go downhill for Hillary and she miss the nomination. For the next several years, pundits can opine their opinions on how Hillarys' campaign went from a certain win (according to the MSM) to a failure like they have done for Howard Dean.

Thursday I think is going to show if her last debate performance (and the damage control since then) is just a hiccup or a shadowy harbinger of another Clinton administration.

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that's not what they're made for." -- Maritime quote

Is this a sign?

November 13, 2007 - 23:18 ET by shawn228

Hi Blonde,

I am hoping Hillary does not win the Democratic nomination. What she did planting that question was as worse as anything she accused the Bush administration of. I will be voting for Silky in the primary and undecided for the general election.

Not sure if this was posted yet, but Is this a sign?

Hey Oblio,

November 13, 2007 - 23:25 ET by Blonde

So you've not been convinced to vote for HRC?  What are you, some kind of male chauvinist?  

As for the sign....someone put it up yesterday, I think.  It's still funny today, too. 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

lol

November 13, 2007 - 23:29 ET by shawn228

lol, naw, I have told you I do not like her and I am hoping for a Edwards victory in the primary. What she did was even worse than the FEMA fake reporters

Careful Shawn,

November 13, 2007 - 23:37 ET by Blonde

You keep hanging here and pretty soon you'll be voting (R).

The Clinton machine will stoop to anything, anything at all.   Brent's new book (did you see him on H&C last night?) is on my list for my next book store trip.

Well, I'm not on here much longer, but I will see you on the chat Thursday nite for the debate coverage.  I don't know if I can listen, read, type, and eat popcorn all at the same time.  But I'm going to give it a try. 

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

LOL...that sounds like me...

November 13, 2007 - 23:44 ET by rx4music

I sit with radio at my left side, lap top running in my lap and the TV going in front of me. It gets even crazier when I have an online radio station running as well! BTW, food is eaten left-handed so as not to get anything on the mouse. I also read with the TV and radio going, too. Drives the family crazy... :^)

Ah,

November 13, 2007 - 23:55 ET by Blonde

The fine art of multi-tasking.

Yep, TV on (preferrably football), sitting at my desktop PC, sometimes with the laptop in the chair next to me, streaming a concert and sometimes with a book open.  The food thing gets a little difficult, tho.  The trick is to not eat finger food....a fork is preferable. 

And keeping the cat off my lap is a bloody nuisance.

David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive

 

Ah yes, the cat...

November 14, 2007 - 00:14 ET by rx4music

The second I set the lap-top down she thinks I'm fair game. She's a 15lb. Maine coon cat and there's only room for one or the other and she doesn't like taking no for an answer. BTW, I've got the NOVA/PBS thing on. Those guys from the ACLU are scary. The smirks on their faces say it all for me. They enjoy what they are doing far too much...

shawn, ROFLMAO!

November 13, 2007 - 23:42 ET by Dave R

Flags falling on the Hildewench?

Man, as sick as I am, and I'm beyond ill, thanks for making my evening with that.

Dave.

Okay, now I promise I am going to bed.

Hear that BT and Blonde???????

 

No Democrats.

November 14, 2007 - 00:07 ET by shawn228

I hope you feel better and have a good sleep Dave. You said you needed to leave the country at once if the Hildabeast was elected. I heard of a place that has , no Clintons, no msm Liberal agenda and all news outlets are fair and balanced

djm159

November 14, 2007 - 05:19 ET by djm159

Have we learned nothing about the Clintons and the word parsing? When Hillary says "this practice (of planting questions) will not be tolerated", that simply means in Clinton language, we will no longer hire incompetent people who get caught planting questions, the practice will continue.