Tipsheet

"We Tried": Reporter Laughs As Hillary Clinton Avoids More Questions, 200 Days Since Her Last Press Conference

As Hillary Clinton went to meet with House Democratic Caucus members Wednesday morning, MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt asked her several questions at the rope line. Clinton smiled but walked past without answering any of them.

“We tried, we tried,” Hunt said, laughing. “It’s not an uncommon situation.”

Clinton ignoring Hunt’s questions is part of a larger trend in her campaign, in which she has held the press mostly at arm’s length. On Tuesday, Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post reported that it had been 200 days--over six months--since Clinton had last held a press conference.

An anonymous Clinton ally told The Hill that press conferences hold no benefit to Clinton. “They would only hurt her,” the ally said. To this argument, Cillizza responded, “It makes sense as a campaign strategy. But that doesn’t make it right.”

The question Hunt asked was whether Clinton had a short list of vice presidential picks. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the list included Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Tim Kaine, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro.

Clinton herself has been vague on the issue, however, telling CBS News, “I’m looking broadly and widely, and I’m going to begin to really dive into thinking hard about this.”