NPR's Tamara Keith Dismantles Right-Wing Media's Clinton Health Conspiracy Theory

Keith: “There’s Nothing I Have Seen And I Have Been Pretty Close To The Candidate”

From the August 21 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:

Video file

BRIAN STELTER (HOST): There have been these conspiracy theories floating around. They started kind of in the fever swamps of the right wing. They’ve now made it on to Fox News, and into Trump aides’ mouths. Let me show you what Rudy Giuliani said on Fox News Sunday, and then have you respond.

[...]

I'm pretty worried about him saying just “go online” and Google it. There’s a lot of false articles online, a lot of false information about Clinton’s health. But that said, from the Clinton beat reporter perspective, have you tried to ask about her health and have you perceived any issues at all with her health?

TAMARA KEITH: I have not tried to ask about her health. I have not had the opportunity to do that. They have put out a statement from her doctor, obviously, and I have been there following Hillary Clinton around. I honestly don't quite know how she does it, because my health is suffering following her. It's grueling. It is a grueling schedule.

STELTER: Your health is suffering following her? You mean because it's so many hours of so many days in a row?

KEITH: I don't go to the gym anymore, I don't get enough sleep. I mean, this is my dream job, absolutely, but she's up there giving speeches. All I'm doing is writing stories.

STELTER: Trump keeps saying she sleeps a lot, but to be clear, this weekend she's out doing fundraisers. She's not on vacation exactly, right?

KEITH: She is raising a lot of money this weekend. We'll find out exactly how much when the final reports come out. But, she stacks up the fundraisers.

STELTER: So, what I’m hearing you saying is we don't have any concrete evidence of some sort of secret illness, as has been claimed by these conspiracy theorists?

KEITH: There’s nothing that I've seen, and I've been pretty close to the candidate. I have seen stools, but you know Tim Kaine sits on them, too.

STELTER: I'm sitting a stool right now, and if cameras followed me around every day they'd find some embarrassing stuff that could be taken out of context on the internet. That's my problem with these theories.

Previously:

Rudy Giuliani Pushes Clinton Health Conspiracy On Fox: “All You Got To Do Is Go Online”

Watch CNN's Media Critic Blast Hannity For Spreading “Conspiracy Theories About Hillary Clinton's Health”

Conservatives Use Icy Stairs From Last Winter To Manufacture A Clinton Health Crisis