Why Is This Mook Laughing?
On arguably the worst day of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, her campaign manager Robby Mook never stopped laughing and grinning through his Morning Joe appearance. The AP has reported that more than half of the meetings Hillary had as Secretary of State with non-governmental representatives were with people who had donated to the Foundation. But in what was clearly a grinning-past-the-graveyard strategy, there was Mook laughing like he had just won the lottery. And when he wasn’t actively laughing, Mook kept a smile resolutely plastered in place.
Mook displayed encyclopedic knowledge of all facts favorable to Clinton. But when it came to something that might harm her, Robby suddenly pleaded ignorance. Joe Scarborough asked whether it was true that when Doug Band of the Foundation was sending Huma Abedin emails asking for meetings on behalf of donors to the Foundation, he was also the head of the Teneo firm at a time Huma was on the Teneo payroll, effectively making Band Abedin’s boss. “I, I don’t, I don’t know the details of, you know, what was going on in her life,” stammered Mook. Isn’t that convenient?
Here’s the transcript of the portion of Mook’s appearance in which, when it comes to Doug Band being Huma’s boss at the time he was sending her requests at the State Department, Mook’s voluminous knowledge suddenly fails him.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: I wanted to ask you, we’ve been talking about the emails between Doug Band and Huma. If I’m not mistaken, Huma was on the payroll of Teneo while she was getting those e-mails. Doug Band was the boss at Teneo when he was sending those emails. Bill Clinton was getting money, getting paid from Teneo when those emails were being sent. Would it be accurate to say that when Doug Band was sending those emails asking for access, that just wasn’t coming from the Foundation, that was actually coming from her boss? I’ve heard people characterize it that way. Is that correct?ROBBY MOOK: No, look, Huma Abedin is a total professional. And when you look at some of these emails you see her sometimes saying, no. That’s just not something that’s going to happen.JOE: I understand. I’m just asking about her relationships. Was she on the payroll of Teneo while Doug Band was the principal at Teneo making these requests?MOOK: I, I don’t, I don’t know the details of, you know, what was going on in her life.
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