Clinton's campaign manager tangles with 'Morning Joe' hosts

Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook drew the ire of the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe” on Wednesday when he repeatedly refused to be drawn out on Clinton’s views on Syria, with an exasperated Joe Scarborough at one point asking, “We love you, buddy, but what are you here for if you can't answer basic questions?”

Mook deferred to Clinton when asked about the former secretary of state's biggest regret with respect to the handling of the situation in Syria. Noting, as panelist Willie Geist had, that Clinton was already out of office in 2013 when Syrian President Bashar Assad crossed the White House's "red line" by using chemical weapons on his own people, Mook also acknowledged that Clinton was in office when the conflict began in 2011.


"Well, right, but, you know, she — I think she's well regarded for her leadership as secretary of state. She came out of that office with a 70 percent approval rating. She, in contrast to Donald Trump, has released a clear and decisive plan to defeat ISIS. Donald Trump has said that he thinks he knows more about it than the generals and refuses to tell us what his secret plan is," Mook continued.

Pressed about the red line, Mook declined to respond as to whether Clinton was "disappointed" about President Barack Obama's lack of action.

"I think you'd have to ask her about that question, how she would characterize it," Mook responded, to which Geist said, "Well, you're here to speak for her, Robby. You haven't discussed that at all?"

Laughing, Mook remarked, "Look, what matters is what she is going to do as president. As I said, she has a clear plan to defeat ISIS. Donald Trump does not. It's a secret. He won't tell anybody what it is and he says he knows more than the generals. I think the choice is clear."

Asked what Clinton would do on Day One in Syria, Mook rehashed Clinton's talking points and directed viewers to the campaign website. Panelist Mike Barnicle, while acknowledging that Mook is not the candidate herself, posed a hypothetical debate question for Clinton at next Monday's debate, asking what the former secretary of state would do to provide aid to the people of eastern Aleppo after the bombing of a relief convoy, differently from the Obama administration.

"Again, I think you're going to have to ask her that question. That's a matter of policy, and I'm going to leave it for her to determine that," Mook said.

Scarborough then snapped, "We love you, buddy, but what are you here for if you can't answer basic questions? I mean, I don't know if there's a — I mean, we may be tiptoeing into Gary Johnson territory here if you don't know the answer to that basic of a question. ... then why do we have you here?" (The Libertarian presidential nominee stumbled on the same show earlier this month when he asked, "What is Aleppo?" in response to a question about the conflict.)

"I think — look, you're asking new policy questions. You would have to ask the secretary for that," Mook said. "My job's not to set policy."

"New?" Scarborough responded incredulously. "Aleppo's been around for — Syria's been around for some time. The red line being drawn has been around for some time. I'm not being difficult here at all. These are basic questions."

"And I'm not being difficult either. I'm simply saying that she has laid out a plan to defeat ISIS, and if there are new questions pertaining to Aleppo, I'm going to need to let her answer those, and she will answer those in the debate, and we look forward to her having the opportunity to do that," Mook said. "And as I said, Donald Trump has been able — unable, rather, to release a plan, and we hope that he will reveal what his plans are in the debate."

As the interview drew to a close, Geist asked Mook about Clinton's current thinking on no-fly zones in Syria, given her past support.

"I'm going to let her statements speak for themselves," Mook said, smiling and laughing.

Geist followed up, "Robby, aren't you here representing her point of view?"

"I am, indeed, and I'm gonna let her language speak for itself," Mook said, to which Geist responded that the Clinton aide was saying that Trump would not clarify his policy at the same time he would not address questions about his own candidate's.

"You are quoting Secretary Clinton's plans as she's laid them out. I'm going to let them speak for themselves," Mook repeated. "Donald Trump has not laid out a single plan."

Moments after concluding the interview, Scarborough remarked to the panel, "So what's going on? I don't understand that. I'm completely flummoxed by that interview."

"I mean, first of all, are they pleased, and openness with the press," he said, referring to Mook's comments earlier in the same interview to that effect. "I heard after the pneumonia deal they all were chastened and changing their relationship and trying to be more open with the press. Won't respond into Aleppo. Won't respond to the no-fly zone. What's going on here? Better not to come on."

Brad Woodhouse, president of the pro-Clinton super PAC Correct the Record, ripped into the show for its line of questioning.

Woodhouse retweeted the Los Angeles Times' Mike Memoli, who asked, "How much time does @Morning_Joe crew think a campaign manager is spending on Syria policy 50 days out?"

"No s---. That was ridiculous and uncalled for. Book the policy director for that and the campaign manager to talk about how to get to 270," Woodhouse added.