Thursday on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” host Chris Matthews and “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough debated Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina’s remarks on Hillary Clinton, for whom she had called “a liar.”
During her post debate appearance when to Matthews pressed on calling Clinton a liar, Fiorina said, ” OK, so it is very clear from all the data, it is very clear from the data, from the emails that she, that the President of the United States, that the Secretary of State, and that the military understood this was a purposeful terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11. And they understood it while it was going on. So tell me then why would you talk about the next day from the State Department, why would you talk about a video? Why would you explain that this is not America? Why would you stand over the bodies of the fallen and say it again? Why not come out and say, this was a purposeful terrorist attack on our embassy. Four brave Americans were killed and we are going to seek retribution.”
Scarborough reacted, “She named the three occasions that she did. I’m just going to talk about Carly Fiorina generally. If you look at the debate, if you look at the way she responds to the debate, if you look at the way she responded when she came on to our show. Mika went after her very aggressively, not only did they have a great debate, she came on the next week. got in my face. She doesn’t mind confrontation. And as far as sub stance goes, there is Carly Fiorina and there’s everybody else. Not just on the earlier stage but even on the stage tonight. You can look at every single candidate. If you want to judge them by debating skills, I don’t see anybody at this point in the campaign.”
Matthews continued to push causing Scarborough to reply: “No Chris, don’t put words in my mouth … I know you’re asking but you have to start listening … You’re trying to pigeon hole me into something. Let’s move on.”
Matthews did not relent and said, “Her closing statement when on to a series of cases. She lied, she lied, she lied, talking about the Secretary of State. Turns out she lost her talking points for the closing statement. All that was a deliberate plan attack on Hillary as a liar. lie, lie, lie.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN