Vigils, have marches, open up the window and scream, whatever it is that you can do. Dont let the world ignore when theres an injustice, because only silence consents to an injustice. Any other measure is a step in the right direction. Thanks for watching. Hardball starts right now. Lame bram. Lets play hardball. Good evening pim chris math washington. Let me start tonight with this stepped up attack on Hillary Clinton. Karl rove who was known as bushs brain is talking about hillarys brain, for real. Shes in the hospital for 30
days and when she eemerges she is wearing glasses only for people with traumatic brain injury. We need to know whats up with that. This is a Top Republican campaign strategist, karl rove, raising what he later called a Serious Health matter. Well, the question is whether rove and perhaps others are headed with all this. Will they persist in this demand for more information about the former secretary of states health. Will they drill deeper, questioning whether shes healthy enough mentally to serve as the countrys top executive. And what about the health of clintons Reaction Team . Can it handle the level of heat without the back up of a fullfledged war room like bill clinton had in 92. Or will this vicious assault by karl rove force the democratic frontrunner to advance her announcement date, move up the time when shell have a Strong Campaign team able to swing into action against such lousy
attacks as this one. Or this deliberate attack ignite a furious counterattack already. Will people like rove become the villains of this piece . Well see tonight. Michael steele, scharm h chairman of the Republican National party and joan walsh is editor at large of the salon. Joan, this is the kind of thing, lets take a look at these quotes again. The New York Post reported this morning that in a conference in california last week, karl rove said this about Hillary Clinton. Again, quote, 30 days in the hospital, and when she reappear she iss wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury . We need to know whats up with that. Of course his facts were wrong. Secretary clinton spent fewer than four days in the hospital, not 30. And her glasses were to correct a problem with double vision after her fall. Rove hedged a bit on an interview, though he continued to imply clinton was hiding information about what he called a Serious Health matter. Lets watch him in action again. I didnt say she had brain damage. She had a Serious Health episode. My point was Hillary Clinton wants to run for 30. But she would not be human if she didnt enter it in as consideration. This was a serious deal. She returns on a friday from czech republic. But over a monthlong period where she ebted up in the hospital she hidden it away. Hes chemically turned the water dirty, turned the campaign so fast. Going against somebodys well being, obviously upgraded, piercing into the heart of her well being to nail her now for what purpose now. Two years before, even a year before shes going to announce. I think hes trying to poison the water. Hes not of the fringe, not of the extreme, but this is where were willing to go. This is where were totally comfortable taking it this early. And i think it serves a second purpose to her. Its a shot across the bow to Hillary Clinton. You think you want to do this . You think you had it bad in the 90s, things are much worse today. Everything you went through in the 90s, youre going to go through some version of that
times ten. Theyre terrified of her running. They have no one to beat her. The best thing they can do is make her feel like maybe i dont want to do this. This is is ugly, ive got Better Things to do with my time. Is this below the belt . Go after someones health situation. She did have a fall. I dont know all the facts. Hes coming out with apparently doesnt square at all with reality. 30 days in the hospital . Sure. Thats not a fact. He did say consistent with a brain injury. Then he took back the word brain damage. He etook back the word brain injury, and Serious Health matter, he called it. I dont think this is something thats out of the realm of questions that you would ask when we get into the heat of a president ial campaign. Were not there yet. And i think theres so much water that will go not just under that bridge but over that bridge before we get to hillary candidacy. That i find a lot of this unnecessary. I agree with ed rollins. Sometimes you Say Something out loud when you shouldnt. This is one of those questions where im asking myself, why is everything such a conspiracy . The woman suffered a fall, she injured herself, she recovered two or three days later. She wore the glasses to correct eye problems related to that. It had nothing to do with her brain. Theres so much else to talk about with Hillary Clinton than this. I really think if this is the hit that the party wants to get close to, i would be very careful about it because people will not suffer this kindly. And i think there are a lot of ramifications longer term. You think it might boomerang . Yes, i do. At the end of the day, were going to get her Health Records when she announces. I think her team will be very forth coming with that, particularly given all the noise now. I dont think there are going to be any surprises or secrets. And if they are, the american
people will judge for themselves. Well said. Making a history of hillary clin to bes age and health has been a part of roves repertory for a while. He told the New York Times, perhaps in the democratic primary and certainly in the general election, theres going to be an argument that the time for change of leadership has come. The idea that were at the end of her generation, that its time for another to step forward is certainly going to be compelling. Hes not the only one in the republican party. Last year, Mitch Mcconnell who, by the way, is six years older than hillary, said this. Dont tell me democrats are the party of the future when their president ial ticket for 2016 is shaping up to look like a rerun of the golden girls. Boy, he looked like the cat that swallowed the canary there. He was so warmly approving of his joke there. Like all politicians, somebody else wrote the joke. He managed to get a couple of numbers. He hit women, older women, older
people. What do you think of that shot . By the way, i know you cant say thats no way to treat a lady, thats old fashioned. But there was a notion that when a guy run against a woman, you have to be very careful about how you address jebder, how you address age in this context. And it looks like those rules of carefulness are out. Those rules are out the window and we dont want special treatment, we want equal treatment, we want fair treatment, we want respect. And thats just disrespectful for somebody as old as Mitch Mcconnell in a party that has such problems with women. Theyre going to seminars learning how to talk to us, talk about us. Then he goes out and says something. You got it, krisz. Then looks so pleased with himself. Like thats the wittiest thin thats ever come out of his mouth. And maybe it was. This is what hes going to face. She faced nit 20072008, too. You had drudge, Rush Limbaugh, people talking about whoa, we dont really want to see a woman
grow old before our eyes. So, you know, shes lived with this double standard her whole lives. Who said we dont see a woman grow old before our eyes . Thats sort of what we all do in life. Yes, exactly. Im pretty sure it was limbaugh. Yeah, well, it would be. Heres whats happening. Lets talk about the politics. They are firing back. Quote, this is a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton. Karl rove is still all over the map and is continuing to get the facts wrong. But he doesnt care, because all he wants to do is inject the issue into the echo chamber and he is succeeding. Its flagrant and thenally veiled. Theyre scared of what she has achieved and what she has to offer. Time for them to move on that their next desperate attack. Jay carney responds as well. Heres what i would say about
cognitive capacity, which is dr. Rove night have been the last person in america on Election Night to recognize and acknowledge the president had won reelection, including the state of ohio. So well leave it at that. You know, there is a road testing going on of Hillary Clinton. Shes out there speaking. By the way, when you speak for the kind of money shes speaking for, then you have to give a pretty good performance. You have to give value. We dont know personally what she knows. But i, point well taken. Shes got to go out there and give a speech every night. Yes, shes written a book, but while writing a book, shes been keeping a tremendous schedule. She makes news everywhere she goes shes not been hiding. Shes been weighing in on contemporary politics. Its not like she went away and theres a deep, dark mystery of what happened to her. These questions reflect desperation. I dont think the health
issue is going to be an issue at all going into 2016. I think that theres going to be a lot of other things to talk about. Her tenure at the state department, her leadership in the senate. And keep in mind, there are a lot of republicans that had a lot of nice things to say about senator clinton. Again, republicans going after hillary cannot use a 1990 standard. Cannot, you know, sort of drudge up this stuff on the periphery and think it going to stick. Theres discussion about her leadership and capabilities to be president. Thats all legitimate. The Health Question is a legitimate concern, but that will be addressed when she release the her Health Records. And as i said before, chris, if theres no there there, lets move on and have a debate about the few kmur of the country. Karl roves guts compared to her guts. She goes up to new york. I never give her enough credit of this. But i think about how tricky it is. She goes up in new york to run
for a senator. Nobody knows the vagaries of the voters or the strange things that happens in election. She could have been ehumiliated. She said no, im going to put my head out there and take what comes to me. Im going to do something on my own, not just because im first lady. Im going to do it on my own and prove myself. And she did it, damn it. And she did it. And karl rove never did anything like that. He was always hiding behind his w. Its a lot easier to hide behind a candidate than be a candidate. Chris, just to make that point, keep in mind, this was on the heels of a very rough end for the clinton administration. And a lot of personal, you know, embarrassment and hurt for her. You have to give credit where credit is due. Theres a certain amount of steel in her makeup that i think the republicans will have to deal with. There is a side bar for hillary. Theres going to be a lot more that were going to have to deal with being honest and our approach is going to be important. Whenever karl rove goes on his listening tour, if he ever does, he may discover that barack obama was reelected president. Thank you, Michael Steele and joan walsh. Coming up, more revealing testimony in the George Washington bridge scandal. Chris christies own Spokesman Says christie was told about the traffic tieup plan as it was happening. Also, if you thought the right hadnt sunk low enough with karl roves comments about the mocking of people like Michelle Obama and others concerned about the fate of those kidnapped nigerian girls, ann coulter, alan west and of course, Rush Limbaugh whom john stuart fileted last night. How do you turn a damage control interview into more damage . Don sterling wound up making matters worse. And Stephen Colbert took on the Conspiracy Theory that Hillary Clinton was herself behind the
recent Monica Lewinsky vanity fair article. Hillary is trying to make this 16yearold news old news. You see, if he talk about the lewinsky scandal now, then we wont be talking about it when shes running in 2016 because if theres one thing the conservative media is known for, it is letting things go. Today, voters in nebraska and West Virginia go to the polls. Theyre picking nominees for u. S. Senate in both states. But republicans in both states hold the advantage in november. Next tuesday, six states including kentucky and pennsylvania will hold their primaries and well be right back. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. She can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. My mom works at ge. Who would have thought masterthree cheese lasagna would go with chocolate cake and ceviche . The same guy who thought that small caps and bond funds would go with a merging markets. Its a masterpiece. Thanks. Clearly you are type e. You made it phil. Welcome home. Now whats our strategy with the fondue . Diversifying your portfolio . E trade gives you the tools and resources to get it right. Are you type e . Trwith secure wifie for your business. It also comes with public wifi for your customers. Not so with internet from the phone company. I would email the phone company to inquire as to why they have shortchanged these customers. But that would require wifi. Switch to comcast Business Internet and get two Wifi Networks included. Comcast business built for business. Last week we heard dramatic
testimony from an aide of crist christie describing how Bridget Kelly tried to destroy evidence to cover up her role in an apparent act of political payback to shut down those lanes on the George Washington bridge. Well, today another shoe dropped. For the first time publicly, one of christies top staffers has testified about who came up with this scheme. And this is christies spokesman Michael Drewniak telling new jersey law makers under oath the govern governors top guy at the Port AuthorityDavid Wildstein told him this bogus traffic study was all his idea. Wildstein also took responsibility for the full responsibility, i created it, this was my idea. He said what was his idea . The traffic study. And the lane diversions or closures. So he explained to you it was his idea to close the lanes . He was taking responsibility in his discussion with me. But not only that, according to drewniak, wildstein said that crist ties Campaign Manager bill stepien and Bridget Kelly had been informed about the plan. And that christie himself was told about the traffic study while it was being executed. Heres more from drewniak. And then says to me that other people knew about this. And he had previously mentioned bill stepien and Bridget Kelly. And now he throws in, and i told the governor about this. And did you believe him when he told you that ms. Kelly and mr. Stepien knew about it . This whole issue of traffic study lane closures . I would say that later and specifically at the dinner i became more concerned because he seemed to be offering up people. And i couldnt understand why. Drewniak has already spoken so investigator fps. Today was our first window into what he knows and what he may have told them. The cochairs of the Committee Investigating the bridge closures. Thank you very much. Assembly woman senator weinberg, what did you know about this. Youve been sitting through this the whole day. What did you learn . We certainly learned that the Governors Office, senior staff were given much information, mr. Drewniak himself spoke to the governors chief counsel sometime in november, well before the december press conference. He spoke to the governors chief counsel, apparently, according
to mr. Drewniak, told the chief counsel that mr. Wildstein had stated that he had said something to the governor on september 11 and that both mr. Stepien and Bridget Kelly had been aware of the socalled lane closures or traffic study. So i think that adds to the picture we have of the whole time line of this. And the fact that senior staff in the Governors Office knew about it, certainly knew about it from press reports. But they knew about it directly from mr. Drewniak also. Assemblyman wisniewski, you pressed drewniak about how he reacted when he was told about wildsteins explosive allegations. Lets watch that. You had mentioned two things to the governor. One, David Wildstein said he told you on 9 11 and he had, the governor had his response that he couldnt be expected to
remember that driveby comment. And the other thing you told him was that kelly and stepien had knowledge. What was his response to that . He had one he said one thing to me. I always wondered if stepien knew more about this. Can you tell if christie knew this was a political payback. It sounds like the governor knew it was a political game being played here to punish sokolich. What we learned today, chris, and the words that Michael Drewniak knew was it was in the
bloodstream of the