Kondracke falsely claimed Bill Clinton “has not said” he would support Lamont if he wins CT primary

On Fox News' The Beltway Boys, Morton M. Kondracke falsely claimed that former President Bill Clinton “has not said” whether he will support challenger Ned Lamont if he defeats Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic primary. In fact, Clinton's spokesman told the New York Daily News that Clinton “will support the candidate that wins the Democratic primary.”


On the July 22 edition of Fox News' The Beltway Boys, Roll Call executive editor and Fox News contributor Morton M. Kondracke falsely claimed that former President Bill Clinton “has not said” whether he will support challenger Ned Lamont if he defeats Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic primary. Kondracke sought to contrast Clinton with his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), who Kondracke noted has indicated that “if Lamont wins the primary, she'll be for him.” In fact, the New York Daily News quoted Bill Clinton's spokesman as saying that Clinton “respects the primary process and will support the candidate that wins the Democratic primary.”

From the July 22 edition of Fox News' The Beltway Boys, featuring Kondracke and co-host Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard:

KONDRACKE: Here's “The Buzz,” Fred.

You know, Bill Clinton is going to campaign for -- for Joe Lieberman up -- up in Connecticut. And an interesting fact about this relationship -- I mean, Lieberman gets criticized by the left for making that famous speech in which he criticized Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky. But what's not remembered is that in the same speech, Lieberman was against impeaching Clinton on that -- on that account. And that actually helped undercut an effort on the part of some Democrats to -- to go to the White House and ask Clinton to resign. Clinton credits Lieberman with saving -- saving his presidency at that -- at that crucial moment, which is part of why he's going to campaign for him.

Now, Hillary Clinton went out of her way to -- to say that, well, if Lamont wins the primary, she'll be for him. Bill Clinton has not done that. He may have to support Lamont if -- if Lamont wins. But he has not said it in advance.