Democratic strategist and Clinton associate James Carville referred to “Clinton Cash” author Peter Schweizer as “anti-Disney, gay bike bar Glenn Beck” on Thursday’s “Ed Show” on MSNBC.
Carville dismissed concerns the the Colombia Free Trade Agreement was another example of potential conflict of interest on the part of the Clintons before saying, “this entire book thing is falling apart. Already, ABC News has found all kind of errors and the author says he’s going to issue this correction. It’s just, you know, Ed — this is spaghetti journalism, let’s just throw spaghetti at the wall and hope something sticks.”
Host Ed Schultz asked Carville, “the Clintons are re-filing their tax returns, why is this happening?” Carville responded, “I think it’s the foundation, but anybody can re-file a tax return. I don’t know if that means anything, people amend tax returns all the time. The foundation itself got the highest rating from the transparency — people that judge this kind of thing that you can possibly get. But if somebody wants to make something that the foundation has re-adjusted a tax return, who knows? I think the thing’s got like $2 billion, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an accounting somewhere. How would I know?”
Carville added, “I think it’s [the Clinton Foundation] one of the great organizations that I’ve been around.”
Schultz then said, “there’s no doubt about that. But the timing of this, and I want to go back to the tax returns if I can. People amend tax returns when they’re not correct. People re-file tax returns when there are mistakes. What’s your response to that?”
Carville answered, “I don’t know. Maybe it was a mistake. How do I know? I mean, people make — I know I’ve had to file a return. Somebody comes up, and you do this, companies, God knows what. I think the foundation is what, $2 billion? I don’t know the details of it, you’d have to ask some accountant, but I wouldn’t find it unusual, or out of the ordinary that somebody’s got to re-file a tax return.”
He was then asked what political advice he would give the Clintons, to which Carville stated, “I think they’re doing pretty good. — The whole book, the Clinton, whatever it is, this guy is anti-Disney, gay bike bar Glenn Beck or whatever this guy is. I think this thing has been, the push-back on it has been pretty effective.”
(h/t Newsbusters)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett