OPINION:
Donna Brazile was fired from CNN after it was disclosed by WikiLeaks that she leaked debate and town hall questions to Hillary Clinton’s team while she served as a CNN commentator.
CNN chief Jeff Zucker said the network did a “complete investigation” into the leaking and that “This behavior was completely unacceptable and we are clear, exactly where they came from.”
He added it was a “very unfortunate situation,” but that “One bad apple, I don’t think ruins the entire process. Clearly this was unprofessional and this should not have happened and this has been dealt with.
Mrs. Brazile, for her part, is unapologetic.
“My conscience — as an activist, a strategist — is very clear,” the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee said Monday during a satellite radio interview with liberal activist and SiriusXM host Joe Madison. She added that “if I had to do it all over again, I would know a hell of a lot more about cybersecurity.”
So, basically, she’s sorry she’s not sorry, so long as her objective as a strategist – which is to get Mrs. Clinton elected to the White House – is achieved. Heck with journalism. Or ethics for that matter.
Harry Reid had similar thoughts after he smeared former GOP Mitt Romney in 2012 by spreading the lie that Mr. Romney hadn’t paid his taxes in a decade. He bragged to CNN last year his comments, which have been described as McCarthyism, helped get Barack Obama elected.
“They can call it whatever they want. Romney didn’t win, did he? Mr. Reid, the outgoing Senate Minority Leader from Nevada, told CNN’s Dana Bash in March 2015, of his spreading the rumor, which was later proven untrue.
In a September interview with the Washington Post, Mr. Reid said the comment – which he made on the Senate floor – was one of his greatest accomplishments.
“People bring that up, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done…like everything, I think in life, here’s something I learned from my father, if you’re going to do something, don’t do it half-assed, don’t play around. With the Mitt Romney stuff, I didn’t play around,” Mr. Reid said.
Asked if there wasn’t a line he wouldn’t cross in regards to political warfare, Mr. Reid replied to the Post: “I don’t know what that line would be.”
Sorry, not sorry.
In Mrs. Brazile – and Mr. Reid’s mind – so as long as Democrats win, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Matter of fact, you should be proud.
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