The Daily Beast Goes into Protect-Hillary Mode

Eleanor Clift, the former Newsweek reporter whose bias was once made legendary by the Media Research Center when it invented the Eleanor Clift Award “for Clinton Worshipping,” has taken to the Daily Beast to fiercely defend her idol, Hillary Clinton, as ethical questions surface regarding Hillary’s longtime friend and Democratic Party activist Minyon Moore.

Quoting a Democratic activist who called the commencement of attacks on Hillary the “silly season,” Clift hyperventilates, “The political world is on tenterhooks waiting for Hillary Clinton, and when there’s even a hint of chum in the water, the sharks come circling.”

Noting a Washington Post story titled “Hillary Clinton Adviser Minyon Moore Sought Funds for Illegal Campaign, Court Papers Allege,” Clift immediately uses a response from the American Bridge watchdog group, “Correct the Record,” whose own Burns Strider called the Post‘s use of the word “illegal” “horse sh–t.”

Clift also makes sure to mention the RNC’s remark that “Clinton’s Minyon In A Mess. Another Scandal Emerges From Clinton Land.” In Clift’s words:

Minyon refers to Minyon Moore, a longtime Democratic activist with ties to the Clintons, who also has alleged ties to Washington businessman Jeffrey Thompson, who just ratted out Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray for allegedly asking him to fund an illegal shadow campaign to help elect Gray. Is that enough “allegedly” to make your eyes glaze over?

Bemoaning Hillary’s “long and treacherous path to the Democratic presidential nomination,” Clift intones, “Rule One: Never let an attack go unanswered.” She does admit that Thompson’s plea states that Moore asked him to fund a total of $608,750 for pro-Clinton efforts in 2008. The money, Clift avers, was used to hire grassroots activists to do field work.

In order to get a fair and balanced view of the situation, Clift spoke with a Democratic donor, who gushed, “This is batting practice for Hillary and the people around her.” Clinton supporters claim that Strider’s use of vulgar language was not a Clinton “get-tough” policy with the press, but simply because Strider is a long-time friend of Moore.

Clift writes that Moore, who started on Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns, “has been the go-to person for national Democrats for more than 20 years on organizing and messaging in the African-American community. Moore has Clinton’s ear and will have a major role in the 2016 campaign if Clinton runs as most of her intimates expect she will.”

Sounding like the unofficial outlet for Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Clift writes, “Clinton’s people expect many more charges and innuendoes will arise, and this week’s rapid response shows the 2016 virtual war room is up and running.” She concludes by dismissing attacks on Hillary while quoting a Democratic activist saying, “Political operatives and reporters grab at anything, that’s the environment we’re in. Everybody wants 2016 to happen now. We’ve entered the silly season.”

It’s not unexpected that Clift would respond this way; after all, during Bill Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, she implied on The McLaughlin Group that House GOP members were racist for their actions against Clinton, saying, “That herd of managers from the House… I mean frankly, all they were missing was white sheets. They’re like night riders…”