Transcripts For CNNW Reliable Sources 20150510 : vimarsana.c

CNNW Reliable Sources May 10, 2015

Clinton cash raises questions of conflicts of interests between donations to bill Clintons Foundation and his wifes Public Policy while she was secretary of state. In deals from kazakhstan to columbia. The fact it was written by Peter Schweizer brought up its own questions ever could be flikts of interest. Some of his previous books include do as i say not as i do profiles in liberal hypocrisy and the more sus sinksly titled and this is ream makers and takers why conservatives work harder feel happier, give more generously whine less and even hug their children more than liberals. So clearly, clearly its hard to tell if he has any bias. Harsh. Still, the impact of the book has been remarkable. Yes, there was an hourlong special from fox news owned by Rupert Murdoch but the book was released early to the New York Times and the Washington Post. They expanded on some of the books allegations which fed the media beast and prompted the times to observe the book had more impact because thethe times had given it more impact. Compared to other anticlinton book clinton cash is potentially more unsettling both because ever its focused reporting and because major news organizations, including the times, Washington Post, and fok news have exclusive agreements with the author to pursue the story lines found in the book. Exclusive agreements with the author . Well that raised eyebrows. The times even public editor investigated the agreement and concluded the times should have been more clear with readers about the nature of this arrangement. One of the coauthors of the timz timz piece defended it. It was no different than a tip that we received from any potential source. There were no agreements as to what we were write. There was no agreement as to when we would write it or what we would not write about. So the idea that we were somehow struck a deal with him is really false. I mean we accepted this is a tip in the same way that i receive them interest all ends of the partisan political spectrum. Joining me is peter sha wiser. Welcome to you. Thanks for having me. Congratulations on getting all this attention from seth meyers to the New York Times. Let me ask you in 30 seconds to give us your reporting headline if you bumped into somebody on the street and they said what is the Bumper Sticker, what is it . I think the Bumper Sticker is you see a pattern that indicates pay to play from foreign entities giving money to the clintons either through speaking fees or Clinton Foundation donations, and those entities get favorable action from Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Thats the thumbnail sketch. So the questions raised we just touched upon in the introduction here about the kiks to the times and the post what was the treatment between you and these other publicationings . Yeah. I mean Mike Mcintire is right, aid copy of the galleys. I took thome the New York Times in part because i have a Story Building upon a previous rorn that the New York Times had done on kazakhstan. I took it to the Washington Post because they had done some work already on the speechmaking that bill clinton was engaging on. I took it to fox news because there was an individual there who used to have been at newsweek who i knew. Pfs simply it was simply i found some interesting thing. I might want to look into it. I did the same with abc news. There was no unique any of these guys pay you, peter, for this . Oh no absolutely not. No payments no time constraints put on no conditions put on. Absolutely not. These are all professionals as you know frank, and no they would have never tolerated a thank and i never would have asked for that. That was for the record. Let me ask you this for the record. Were you looking deliberately and hoping for this kind of pickup in the quote, unquote Mainstream Media to blunt some of the criticism that is you are just a clinton critic and this book lacks credibility as a result. I wish i had this master plan. If you look at my two previous box, extortion, it was fee turbed on 60 minutes. Pie my book before that was the subject of a 60 minutes episode and there was Mainstream Media on both of those. This book is really no different from the two previous that i have done. And its all fact driven. Yes, i am a conservative. I say that. But i have gone after republicans. I have gone after conservatives. The focus is really on corruption and i think facts are facts. So let me ask you this question and this for people who havent followed this very closely is also the substance of the 4,000word piece that thethe New York Times wrote which is this deal for the russians to buy this Uranium Company that was up in canada with the two brothers the Business Partners there were making contributions to the Clinton Foundation after the deal went through. Bill clinton got a very lucrative speech in russia as part of all this. Hillary clinton is now secretary of state, and the connection or the not the connection but the implication here is that there was some pay to play. But, but i have heard over and over again, no smoking gun here and i want to show you and the audience this montage the Clinton Campaign put together with you out making these pictures to the media and their response. No indication that Hillary Clinton or bill clinton took direct action. Theres no evidence i was not in any of these meetings. Theres no smoking gun. I cant look into Hillary Clintons mind. And there hasnt been a there there. Weve been vuthinvestigative work at abc news and found no proov of any kind of direct action. What do you say to all the media organizes that looked into this core accusation in the book around said theres no there there or no smoking gun there . Frank, im an author and a journalist. I dont have subpoena power. Let me just ask this very basic question. If this were a secretary of defense, it were not the clintons they had a Small Company that needed pentagon approval of something, and nine individuals in that Small Company had sent 145 million to a private foundation that the secretary of defense had and the secretary of defenses spouse had received inflated spike edd sfeking fees during the spim of thistime of this approval. Would the media take their word for it. Would investigators take their word for it . No. They would say this is something that needs to be investigated and thats my position. And this notion that an author has to provide the smoking gun is absurd. All of these why is that absurd . If theres a core allegation is it enough just to raise the question . If you did that if you were writing for a major newspaper, theyd send you back and say you havent got the story yet. No. I disagree completely. I dont think the news standard at any news outlet would be if you demonstrate a Small Company has send 145 million to a Foundation Connected to the secretary of defense and the secretary of defense had business before them youre telling me news organizations wouldnt run with that story . Of course they would. The question is is what do you do with that information and in the book you show it again and again and again and again. So the question becomes are these just all serious coincidences or is there Something Else afoot you have said that you are trying to change the narrative, its clinton narrative in the media. A lot of folks say theres plenty of criticism in the media and lots of questions have been raised. Are you trying to change the narrative and if so to what . No. My focus has been over the last five years on crony capital inch and that is what i see this as a story. This is not about ideology. This is about a family the clintons who have become enormously wealthy in the postpresident ial years, and i would argue and i think the evidence is clear a lot of it has to do with the fact that former president bill clintons wife had very real power and could do favors for people that needed it done at the state department. Thats a serious area of inquiry. This goes to the heart of crony capitalism self enrichment. I want to ask you this question who is funding you and who is funding your foundation . Yes. And some of that has been out in the media. We have a variety of donors. They are politically conservative. Theyre not all republicans, and they all dont have a consensus about a particular candidate, but i will tell you and i think our research is clear on this i have never had a donor tell me dont look into this person or dont look into this area. That has never been a restriction. And our evidence is clear. My last book on extortion i was soundly denounced and criticized by speaker of the house john boehner. So the idea that this is just about republicans or democrats is absurd and is a way of deflecting of the real substantial of whats in the book. It is worth noting and thats why i did that your support, your financial support, is from conservatives, including from the Koch Brothers and others. You have not denied that so thats out there for all to know but i want it to be out there for all to know. Yes. I would just correct the record and youre right, they have in the past. The Koch Brothers did not fund this Research Project. They didnt fund the Research Project but they funded your foundation. Yes. You have made comments that 10 , this 10 comment that you made that 10 of whats gone owe the Clinton Foundation has gone to charitable foundations to do the work. Theres been a lot of digging that shows that is not the case. Are you prepared to withdraw it . No and i make that point. If you look at my comments in context, i say their Charitable Giving to other foundations but as i point out they are positioning themselves as a Management Consultant to work with other charities. I make that clear. That 10 figure is accurate and true. The problem is the Clinton Foundation is an unusual charity. Charity navigator wont rate them because of a quote, unquote, usual business model. The Better Business bureau has dinged them for Serious Problems with their internal practices. That all stands and that all is accurate and true. Thank you very much an author with some impact ands always a healthy dhinger thing for the discussion and it will continue. Thanks very much. Thank you. Deflategate, when it comes to Investigative Journalism do members of the sports media drop the ball . Well have that one. vo around age 7, the glucose metabolism in a dogs brain begins to change. ray id like to see her go back to her more you know social side. She literally started changing. It was shocking. Shes much more aware. jan she loves the food. ray the difference has been incredible. She wants to learn things. vo purina pro plan bright mind promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. Purina pro plan. Nutrition that performs. Meet the worlds newest Energy Superpower. Surprised . In fact, america is now the worlds number one natural gas producer. And we could soon become number one in oil. Because Hydraulic Fracturing Technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. Supporting millions of new jobs. Billions in tax revenue. And a new century of American Energy security. The new Energy Superpower . Its red, white and blue. Log on to learn more. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. Welcome back. And now a look at the media that cover sports and whether theyre reliable sources. New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady and deflategate are back in the headlines after the wells report found it was more probable than not, their words, that brady was aware of those improperly deflated footballs. Reporter bob kravitz broke the deflategate story and ignited the Media Firestorm that followed. For him wednesdays official report was vintdication after his reporting that drew disdain and even Death Threats. He wrote, the people who disappointed him most were the folks at the globes website boston. Com. They were renowned pom pom wear wearers so it wasnt a surprise. But i was struck at the enthusiasm they displayed by carrying the patriots water. How should Sports Reporters balance the play by play and star culture of the field with the business of journalism and the job of tough questions . So the joining me now is bob kravitz, that sports column frist wth r and Christine Brennan usa today sports columnist as well. Welcome to you both. Bob, let me start with you. That story that you report how did you get it and tell us again about what the responses were. Well you know it was a night of the afc championship game and i received a text roughly 10 00, 10 30. I did not see it until midnight because i was doing some tv postpost postgame work. And it was from a source saying call me its really important. I called the source roughly midnight 12 10. I was told what was going on with the deflated footballs. I then was able to confirm it with a second source so i tweeted it out at 12 55, and then i watched twitter blow up. Before twitter blew up did you know instantly that oh my gosh this is a big story here . Yeah. Aid pretty good idea. You know, yeah i did. You know i mean i have broken a few stories along the way. When chuck pagano had cancer. I broke that. I knew that would be a big deal. I knew this would have farreaching consequences. I knew and twitter blew up. What do you mean . Twitter blew up. Absolutely everybody first, the First Response was who the heck is bob kravitz. They expect stories to be broken by adam shefter and Chris Mortenson who do break most of the stories nationally and then it was a lot of people saying it was sour grapes. It was the colts deflectingattempting to deflect from the fact they got walloped on the field. Seriously Death Threats . Absolutely. Along the way throughout the process of the last id say 100 and some odd days i have had people threaten my wellbeing. Not to the point where i got protection. I have always felt like i dont worry about people who tell me theyre going to kill me. I worry about the people who dont give me advance notice. Okay. Thats something for us to think about. Christine brennan, let me bring you into this because you heard what bob just said and you have broken your fair share of stories and you certainly have broken a fair bit of glass in your career and in your columns. What is the job of a sports journalist journalist . Is a sports journalist supposed to be cheering for the team and giving his play by play or is the sports jumpist supposed to be working sources and making people uncomfort. Latter 100 . Exactly what bob kravitz did is what were supposed to be doing all the time. Im not sure your readers and your fans want to read that. Youre right. Theyre fans but year journalists. Every now and then rarely who do you cheer for . Who is your people ask you who you cheer for . Right. Nobody. Im cheering for the story. Bob, people ask you who you cheer for . All the time. In indianapolis there. What do you say . I say the same thing. I say i root for the story and you give up you dont give up much when you go into this business but you do give up your fan card. And, of course, though bob, as you know well we signed up for this. This is exactly what we want to do. The stories, frank, its just incredible whats happened over the last ten years. Bob will agree. From Jerry Sandusky and penn state, jameis winston, lance armstrong, now this. Of course, the very ray rice. Domestic violence and ray rice. Sports takes us to a National Conversation in a way nothing else can. And its fascinating and wonderful conversation to have whether its about horrible things like Jerry Sandusky or doughmestic violence or its a multimultimillion business as we see with issues of concussion and other things. There are major issues we need to be aware of. Im not really sure that most of the sports journalists i know and some of the young people who want to get into it think thats what theyre going into. They think theyre covering teams. I think a lot of the young people want to go they want to be bill simmons. They want to be they want to market themselves and become stars. They want to, you know go to the ballpark and hobnob with ball players and managers and coaches and gms and, you know, i mean i grew up at a time when, you know i kind of grew up in the watergate era and have always b

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