For across all religious lines, but particularly a president that says he is personally committed as a christian. Why do we have anything, anything close to trying to play religious divisiveness and trying to castigate peoples basic beliefs. Win on the merits, not by playing these kinds of games. Thanks for watching. Im al sharpton. Hardball starts right now. Were back to benghazi. Lets play hardball. Good evening im Chris Matthews in philadelphia. Let me start tonight with this a newly disclosed email from Deputy National security adviser ben rhodes has reignited the benghazi firestorm on the hard right. Senator Lindsay Graham has
coined the white house scum bags. Darrell issa is comparing president obama with president nixon. But the freakout once again doesnt square with reality. Heres what got things going. Rhodes refers to a prep call with susan rice ahead of her appearances on those five sunday talk shows the weekend after the tragedy. Rhodes calls one of the goals for the interview should be, quote, underscore that these protests are rooted in an internet video and not a broader failure of policy. How is that different from what we now know actually happened . According to the Bipartisan SenateIntelligence Committee report from earlier this year, in fact, from january, some intelligence shows the attacks were likely put together in short order. Following that days violent protests in cairo against an inflammatory video. Whats more, the first draft of the cias talking points for susan rice participants an even clearer picture. We believe based on clearly available information that the
attacks in benghazi were inspired by the protests at the u. S. Embassy in cairo. Michael steele and david corn join us. Michael, ive been watching this thing atrying to keep my cabinet file in my head filled with facts coming out of the bipartisan Intelligence Committee report which said yes, this was a copycat operation against the facility in benghazi, spurred or triggered by whats going on around the middle east but especially in cairo. And the issue in cairo was triggered, they believe, by this inflammatory video coming out of california making fun of islam. That seems to be what this memo points to by ben rhodes. Saying that, saying in other words what we now believe to have been the case. Whats the problem, whats the smoking gun. Theres a lot that needs to be answered for benghazi. I think that the initial handling of this by the party, overpoliticizing it, in fact, diminishing in i really real invetigatory earth ffort to fin what the facts are. Oh, we still want to bring whoever did this to justice is almost ludicrous at this point. You have something at this email come and be revealed foia, again, contextualizes concerns that a lot of people, not just republicans had about the handling of benghazi and what led up to some of the decision make on the ground. I think its a legitimate tool and point of interest to discuss. What this new memo shows, normally say, calling people
scum bags, is it any different in substance than what we got in the bipartisan support on the Senate Intelligence committee way back in january . Short answer, no. Here are all the new documents that just came out. I encourage the smoking gun memo i read it. Theres nothing in that memo that changes anything that we know. And its quite clear that the one line they pull out of it, that ben rhodes is clear ly cle referring to all it in cairo and yem yemen. Thats what hes talking about, the big picture. I still think there are questions unanswered about benghazi and about, what aur
capables were beforehand and the state Department Review board looked into this and said there are reasons why more should have been done before the fact. And, you know, all the great things that should be looked at so that we never lose another Public Servant like ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other americans who perished with him. But for the republicans again and again today to get out there and make this stuff up is really sacrilegious to the memory of Christopher Stevens. With all due respect, thats just a load of crap. A load of crap . Were not making anything up. Yes, you are no, were not. Were looking at the same stuff youre looking at. It may be a matter of interpretation or opinion, but the white house in handling this thing from the very beginning has botched it. And this memo, this particular paragraph that he started the segment off with, weve got to put this story, this is just about the video, and susan, just
make sure you tell everybody that were not failing on our policy, that were doing this the right way, or it could be as nice and easy packaged at david put it. Theres no doubt, gentlemen, that the white house has botched this up. Why didnt they put out this memo with all the earlier stuff they put out . Why do they let a rolling disclosure occur . Which is what i said for years in politics. The one way to lose your credibility is have information leak out point and point. This was a foia thing, but it makes the white house once again play defense. This past january, some intelligence suggested the attacks were put together in short order. Relatively spontaneous, following that days violent protest in cairo against an inflammatory video. This is just
what susan rice said from cairo. In that case probably caused by the anger over the video. We dont know what we dont know over benghazi. In the light thats been shown, you just admitted that this rolling effect. Calling the white house scum bags, theying they lies. Look, look. Let me finish my point. Loon look, im not into the name calling crazy. We dont need to name call here. But theyre name calling. Theyre saying its a coverup. Michael, hes what some of
yours are saying opinion the rhodes email has set up a freakout. As i mentioned Lindsey Graham coined a phrase you dont n normally hear from a senator. Some guy said on the left the only reason i cared about this was because ive got six tea party opponents. Well, if thats true, im the biggest scum bag in america. The scumbags are the people in the white house who lied about this. And republican congressman darrell issa held another round of oversight hearings on this where he compared president obama to richard nixon. Heres congressman issa. The American People have learned you can not believe what the white house says, what the spokesperson say and what the president says. The facts are coming out that, in fact, this administration has knowingly withheld documents
pursuant to congressional subpoenas in violation of any reasonable transparency or historic precedent, at least since Richard Millhouse nixon. The language couldnt be more horrendous, given the fact that theres hardly a nuance of difference between what we learned now and what we learned a long time ago about the tragedy in benghazi. By the way, will we please remember that ambassador Chris Stevens was a grownup, a sincere professional of sound mind. He decided to go out to that risky facility that night. He made that decision, which ambassadors have to make. It turned out to be a horrific situation me walked into. But the idea that someone should have been covering for him. But that someone else should have the army there defenning him, i think its a little ridiculous. I think its the responsibility of the president of the United States in this administration to protect those
ambassadors who go go into harms way willingly. How would president obama know that Chris Stevens was going out to a facility alongside a cia facility in the middle of the night some weekend. How would he know that . How would he know what . I didnt hear the question. How would the president even know he was going on that trip out there to benghazi. Highway would the president know that specific event . We do have emails and correspondent between the ambassador and the state department. If the president doesnt know it, at least his secretary of state and her department should know who is on the ground and what is required to protect the United States ambassador in a place like benghazi. This isnt Rocket Science and you know if the shoe were on the other foot, you would be screaming holy hel about how a Bush Administration failed to protect one of its ambassadors. Youre acting as if theres been no investigations. There have been several,
including some led by republicans in the house other than darrell issa. A lot of this stuff has been looked at. Did we just not get an email released in the last 24 hours or week that wasnt a part of the initial discussion that were all talking about. How do we know whats going to be released tomorrow or next week . You can keep saying we dont know whats really out there i guess im trying to look at this reasonably. I understand the politics of this completely on both sides. But this argument, it seems to me, trying to apply this to what happens in any war zone this was a war zone. This country was not being governed at the time. You go into afghanistan, syria today, iraq, there are places in the world where its dangerous to go to. People get killed all the time in surprise ambushes. It happens all the time. Roadside bombings. We live in a world of unpredictability and horror. And the idea that one of these incidents would be blown up as the most important issue of the Upcoming Elections for kingdom
come to me is out of proportion. Thank you, michael steele. I wish i got to meet Chris Stevens. Everybody thought he was a great guy. Coming up, bill clinton was doing more yesterday than just burnishing his own image with his speech about income inequ inequali inequality. He was also protecting hillarys left. Plus the big muddle thats become the republican race for the white house. Three guys, jeb bush, rand paul and Mike Huckabee are all bunched together, each representing different action factions of the party. And the botched execution is not about sympathizing with convicted murders, i think its more about the rare cases that an innocent person is on death row. And finally, let me finish with the praising new struggle between the clintons and the Democratic Left over the 2016 primary fight. This is hardball a place for politics. Some Financial Guidance so she could take her dream to the next level. So we talked about her options. Her valuable assets were staying. And selling her car wouldnt fly. We helped sydney manage her debt and prioritize her goals, so she could really turn up the volume on her dreams today. And tomorrow. So lets see what we can do about that. Remodel. Motorcycle. [ female announcer ] some questions take more than a bank. They take a banker. Make a my financial priorities appointment today. Because when people talk, great things happen. Florida, florida, florida. Weve got new poll on the 2016 president ial race from what has been the biggest battleground state in president ial politics. But if Hillary Clinton run, its not even close. Lets check the hardball scoreboard. Hillary clinton leads the Top Republican in the state, former governor jeb bush by eight points. Clinton 49, bush 41. And thats as close as the republicans come. Against florida senator marco rub rubio, clinton leads by 12, she leads Chris Christie by 18. Clinton 52, christie down at 34. Hillary leads former arkansas governor Mike Huckabee by that same 18point margin. And its an 18 point against rand paul. Clinton 55, paul down at 37. Wisconsin congressman paul ryan trails hillary by a big 20. Ted cruz does the worst against clinton in the poll. Hes running 26 points behind the former secretary of state. Look at these number, 57 to 31. For cruz. And well be right back. Between hearing about my daughters gym meet, and being there. Yeah nailed it unlike the bargain brand, depend gives you new fitflex®, our best protection. Its a smooth and comfortable fit with more lycra strands. Hi sweetie get your free sample at depend. Com. We are the thinkers. The job jugglers. The up allnighters. And the ones who turn ideas into action. Weve made our passions our lifes work. We strive for the moments where we can say, i did it we are entrepreneurs who started it all. With a signature. Legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. And were here to help start yours. Turning dreamers into business owners. Could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads youd take that test, right . Well, what are you waiting for . You could literally be done with the test by now. Now you could have done it twice. This is awkward. Check your speed. See how fast your internet can be. Switch now
and add voice and tv for 34. 90. Comcast business built for business. Its going to be a real Battle Center left, Hillary Clinton and the left, inspired by Elizabeth Warren of massachusetts. Yesterday, bill clinton came out of his corner in round one. He served notice that he is prepared to celebrate his own economic record. At georgetown yesterday, he argued that he brought 8 Million People out of poverty and into the american middle class. He also has been making a pitch for preschool education. A page right from the book of new yorks populist new mayor bill deblasio. Could the clintons be making it clear, do not get cut off from the Democratic Party base, not
let Elizabeth Warren, who says shes not running, or someone else with her leaning, that shes not tied to wall street. For the clintons theres a problem. At some point, they have to choose, do they join with the hard left and blast away with people at wealth, especially those in big finance. Do they . Even though they have many friends and sup the poerts in those ranks . And at what point will they face the need to say the populists have gone too far. Ryan grimm and anna palmer, ryan lets get to the picture here. Bill clinton coming out of the georgetown with former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, as wife, and former first lady, sitting in the first row. This seems a brazen statement of preventive war that hes ready to go to war with anybody that he says he wasnt, if you will, populist enough as president. Right. I think that speech actually had more to do with bill clinton that Hillary Clinton. Bitter isnt necessarily the right word. But he feels hes not getting enough credit for what he did on inequality in the 1990s. The idea that nobody was talking about this in the early to late 90s is crazy. I ran on a populist theme. I was a populist president , you know, an i did x, y and z in order to reduce income inequality. And he wants that credit. I think that has a lot more to do with why he gave the speech than actually anything related to 2016. But isnt this really about tenor and attitude that Elizabeth Warren is seen as kind of a trust buster, an old progressive who is willing to go in and make enemies. And really be known as someone wall street doesnt like. Im your nemesis, your worst nightmare. His friends, all the people i
know in wall street are friends of the clintons. Social friends, financial friends. They help them in their campaigns. Isnt there a wall they will not cross or jump over. Theyre not willing to say im standing outside of wall street calling for its down fall . Theyre not going to go as far as, you know, Elizabeth Warren does, but theres always been, you know, some of that kind of southern populism in clinton. And he wants to remember that part of his campaign. I can just see this flipping in the next two weeks and back again. Former senator clinton whos running probably, she wants to be seen as somebody who can get alone with business and inspiring them to start spending the 2 trillion theyre sitting on and not be seen as the enemy. How can they be populist and seen as helpful partners of big business and big money . I think that they understand or they want wall street to be in on the joke, right . The clintons are saying, listen, we have a history. We can be populist. When i was, you know, when bill clinton was in office, he did things for the left, but payment, i think when you look at all of the friends on wall street, they understand exactly who the clintons are, exactly how they would be business friendly to them. And the fact that, you know, just as ryan said, if there sunt a jeb bush in there, certainly wall street is very comfortable with Hillary Clinton on the ticket and in the white house. So if theyre throwing spears and arrows on wall street, those who are their friends will discount it and say we know this is part of the political business . Absolutely. They see her nowhere near as bad for them as president obama has been. They also arent going on the attack in terms of any kind of aggressive nature. Theyre really only trying to
say listen, we do have this left message and we can communicate with them, but at the same time, wall street is known that theyre friends and they know theyre going to be friends with them flougt the campaign. One way to watch them is see how close they get to deblasio in new york who is not making any friends on wall street. Lets take a look at yesterdays speech. President clinton want back to his alma mater. His slogan was putting people first. He went back to Georgetown University yesterday and went to college and defended his Economic Policy ens white house years. In fact, some people believe, as you said, to bolster his own legacy. But also to neutralize criticism from the hard left ahead of hillarys expected president ial campaign. Youre free to decide to think i