From the December 21 edition of CNN's New Day:
David Brock Calls Out Media For “Playing Donald Trump's Game”
Brock: “We're Playing Donald Trump's Game Here By Focusing On A Video When In Fact It's His Statements That Are Endangering Our Lives”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
ALISYN CAMEROTA (HOST): Hillary Clinton taking heat for those comments, especially from Donald Trump who is now calling the Democratic front-runner a liar. And now he's demanding an apology. Let's bring in David Brock, he's the founder of the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC Correct The Record. David, thanks so much for being here in studio.
DAVID BROCK: Thank you.
CAMEROTA: What she said was not accurate.
BROCK: Well, let's go to what the citation is, and I'll show you how it's accurate.
CAMEROTA: Go ahead.
BROCK: So counterterrorism experts who for a living follow ISIS, and they follow ISIS on social media as well, told NBC News that what ISIS does is take Donald Trump's statements, put them out on social media. They love what Donald Trump is saying and, ISIS says to people, okay, here's proof that Americans hate Muslims. And what's the proof? The proof is Donald Trump's words. So that statement was absolutely correct. He's being used as a recruitment tool. And he wants to evade the story by calling Hillary a liar. The real story -- that he's helping terrorists. People who want to kill us.
CAMEROTA: Except that those counterterrorism experts who have spoken to NBC as you point out, they say that terrorists will surely use Donald Trump's words in the future. They may even make a video. There is no video that anyone can cite that is actually being used. She said it in the present tense.
BROCK: What ISIS is doing is all over social media right now. The New York Times fact-checker says it's all over Twitter. So, if we want to get into what the social media content is, is it they're transcribing his statements on Twitter, or they're using a video. That's a meaningless nit. The real issue here is Donald Trump, what he's doing. And it's not just Hillary Clinton bringing this up. Senator Rubio yesterday on Sunday morning said look the impact of this on patriotic Muslim-Americans whose support we need to win this fight.
CAMEROTA: Look, counterterrorism experts have said that they believe that this is the wrong narrative, what Donald Trump is saying could be used. I think that the point is instead of just parsing word back and forth like you and I are, is that Donald Trump is the person in this race who relies on hyperbole. And so, to hear Hillary Clinton rely on hyperbole and say that there is a video that now cannot be found sort of puts her in that same Trump category that she doesn't want to be in
BROCK: I don't think she'd want to be in it. But let me tell you this, you're right about Donald Trump and hyperbole. Look, the idea that he is calling Hillary Clinton a liar, if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. We all know that Donald Trump has kept fact-checkers in business most of this year, and Politifact very recently rated all of the candidates in the race. Who is the most honest and most trustworthy according to a non-partisan fact-checking site? Hillary Clinton. I'm glad she had the guts to get out there to call this extremism out.
CAMEROTA: Here's what Donald Trump is saying this morning. He was on NBC. Let's hear what his response to this has been.
[...]
CAMEROTA: Is Hillary Clinton going to apologize for saying there's a video that people can't find right now?
BROCK: I don't know but I don't think she should. I've given you the citation. I think what she said was accurate. And I think that we're playing Donald Trump's game here by focusing on a video when in fact it's his statements that are endangering our lives.
Related:
NBC: Donald Trump's Muslim Bashing Aids Cause of Terror Networks, Say Experts
Previously:
David Brock Explains That There Is A “Double Standard At Work” In Media's Clinton Coverage
David Brock Urges Listeners To “Be Very Skeptical” Of The Media's Hillary Clinton Coverage
David Brock Discusses The Media's “Power Of Suggestion” In Changing Public Perception Of Clinton