Former White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton went on "The Kelly File" to discuss Fox News' latest attempt to crush Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations via the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
The network has embraced Nicholes Confessore and Michael Schmidt's New York Times report that longtime, well-documented Clinton family friend Sidney Blumenthal sent Hillary memos about Libya while she was Secretary of State. The talking heads on Fox have not, however, followed the Times in pointing out that she frequently forwarded the messages dismissively, adding to one, for example, "[t]his one strains credulity."
During her interview with Burton, Kelly never mentioned that either, preferring to discuss the fact that she received emails from an old friend over the actual content of them. Burton tried to remind her of the obvious -- that "everyone in the Obama administration knows that there are people outside of the White House who are friends [with those working in it] and going to continue sending advice, whether warranted or not."
"It's different," Kelly explained, because the White House rejected Clinton's request to bring Blumental to the State Departmetn, because -- in Kelly's words -- he "is considered shady" and "conflicted."
"He's dealing with Libyans who have an agenda," she continued, and he had direct access to Secretary of State Clinton -- and Kelly made this connection, yet again, without noting that all his access seems to have scored him is a personal dismissal by Clinton.
"He sent a bunch of memos," Burton explained, "some of which were seen as helpful, many of which were seen as less than helpful. There are lots of people who are getting emails all the time, and I think this is a trumped up issue that isn't going to bear any fruit, it'll probably be gone in 20 minutes."
"Have you seen what show follows mine?" Kelly asked, referring to "Hannity." She followed up that question with another, asking Burton why "a cloud of corruption follows [Clinton]?"
"Maybe it only follows her around on your network?" he replied.
"The right's going to take these new reports, talk about them as much as they can, because they think they can really make ground with anything that smells like scandal." He added that the GOP's tactic of talking about Hillary Clinton while she's out there talking about the American people is going to backfire.
Watch the entire exchange below via Mediaite.
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