Guy Benson wrote an extensive article a couple of days ago, detailing the corrupt allegations of primary rigging that former DNC Chair Donna Brazile makes in a new book.
“In her forthcoming book, former DNC chair Donna Brazile absolutely unloads on her party, blasting Barack Obama for decimating the DNC's finances, savaging the leadership of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and confirming that yes, Hillary Clinton's campaign had the party in its pocket long before she was its nominee. You'll likely recall Donald Trump's frequent play to Bernie supporters during the general election, claiming that the Democratic establishment "rigged" the nominating process against Sanders and for Clinton. He probably didn't even realize how absolutely accurate that characterization was. Politico has published an extended excerpt from Brazile's book, and oh my, is it explosive.”
But last night with Anderson Cooper, former Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign manager Robby Mook categorically denied that the Clinton campaign was ever involved in any election rigging, urging the Democratic party and media to “move on” from 2016.
When asked about Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Clinton’s former primary opponent Bernie Sanders accusing the DNC and Clinton of election rigging, Robby Mook went on the defensive
MOOK: “Well, and Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are important part of our party. They're an important part of our politics. We can't make the case to working people in this country that we're going to be -- that we're going to stand up for them and we're going to fight for them, if we're fighting each other. We can't do that.
Hillary Clinton won this primary with almost 4 million votes. That's a bigger league that Barack Obama had over her when she lost and conceded in 2008. The idea that the DNC could rig a contest frankly is laughable.
And here's the thing I'll say. You know, the caucus contests within the larger primary are the contests that are run by the party. You know, the primary elections are run by secretaries of state. Those contests, the caucuses that were run by the party, Bernie Sanders won overwhelmingly. So, if we look at what the party actually in this process, Bernie Sanders won those contests. I think we only won three of them and we barely won Iowa.
So, there's just no evidence to back this up. I understand that it's convenient. Some people like -- you know, they want to be angry of what's going on. But we've got to focus our anger on Donald Trump and this outrageous tax plan that the Republicans are proposing.”
It is a rich irony that Robby Mook is encouraging the media and political opponents to move on from 2016. Hillary Clinton has spent the better part of the past year blaming everybody but herself for her colossal 2016 loss. She has offered a wide variety of scapegoats, ranging everybody from white men to women afraid of their husbands to Russians to uneducated hillbillies. Clinton seems fixated on 2016 and makes a new comment just about every week.
But more heinous is that Mook is encouraging everybody to move on not only from the 2016 election, but from the fact that Donna Brazile gave Clinton a CNN question ahead of a primary debate.
Anderson Cooper, a long time CNN political news anchor and often times host of various primary debates, was noticeably angry at Mook for skirting that fact.
COOPER: So, is this just about Donna Brazile trying to peddle a book? I mean, because as Brianna mentioned, you know, through somebody who didn't work at CNN, she gained access to one town hall question and she gave that or at least attempted to or in an email give it to somebody in the Clinton campaign, which is completely unethical. She lost her job. You know, she -- I mean, I frankly view it as a huge betrayal of everybody who work at CNN, the fact that she did that.
I don't see her attempting to -- in any of those e-mails attempting to give information to the Sanders campaign. It seemed like she was more than happy to cozy up to the Clinton campaign. And now, she has a book to sell, she's now spinning this yarn.
MOOK: I feel like all this is water under the bridge. And Donna Brazile has served our party for 30 years. She's been a champion for Democrats. It was my honor and my privilege to work with her as chair of our party. I look forward to working with Donna --
COOPER: Do you think it was appropriate for her to do that about a town hall question?
MOOK: I don't honestly know the specifics of it. It sounds like CNN looked into it and took action as they saw fit.
But again, Anderson, I'm not just interested in these things in the past. This is why we got to move beyond 2016. We have a governor's election less than a week away in Virginia. We've got critical midterm elections.”
It’s ludicrous for Robby Mook to praise Brazile for her work over the past thirty years. It appears the Democrats “moved on” from the fact that Brazile was fired from the Michael Dukakis 1988 presidential campaign against then Vice President George HW Bush. Brazile lied about a made up affair that H.W. Bush was allegedly having.
From the NY Times in 1988:
“Donna Brazile, deputy national field director of the Dukakis campaign, resigned last night after telling reporters covering the campaign that they should pursue rumors, which she did not document, about Vice President Bush's personal life. In resigning, she said: ''Today I made certain comments which I deeply regret. I believe too strongly in the importance of electing Mike Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen to allow myself to become an issue in the campaign. Because the time is short, and the issues are so important, I have decided to leave the campaign. I wish Mike Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen the best in the final weeks of the campaign.''
But rather than be ostracized for her lies, Brazile simply moved around various Democratic campaigns throughout the 90s, working her way up the party. This put her in the position to assist in the rigging of the primary for Hillary Clinton by providing debate questions in 2016.
Last week, I wrote about Maxine Waters rebranding herself as a dedicated public servant fighting against corruption. It would appear Brazile is attempting to do the same in this new book. Mook’s feckless response and interview with Anderson Cooper highlights the very real problem the Democrats have. Their party is so full of liars like Clinton, Brazile, and Waters that it is virtually impossible for anybody in Democrat leadership to say with a straight face to the American public that they are acting nobly or honorably.
The interview can be viewed below.
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