Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., thinks the press’ criticism of Hillary Clinton’s flip-flop this week on the White House’s trade deal with Pacific Rim countries is unfair, and argued in an interview Thursday morning that all candidates “evolve” on these sorts of issues.
The senator and Clinton superdelegate accused MSNBC specifically of being particularly uncharitable towards the former secretary of state.
“I’ve been listening to you guys this morning,” McCaskill said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “I think some of it has been unfair.”
On Wednesday, Clinton announced her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal which she helped initiate when she worked at the State Department. The press has noted the timing of Clinton’s announcement, pointing to the rise of pro-labor Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has opposed the deal from the beginning. The Democratic frontrunner’s opposition to TPP also comes after years of praising the deal.
Clinton’s about-face suggests she is merely trying to secure her front-runner status in the Democratic presidential primaries, reporters suggested shortly after the announced change of heart.
But never mind all that, McCaskill said Thursday, because lawmakers change their positions all the time. She added that candidates, particularly Republicans, often “evolve” on issues, so the press’ criticism of Clinton’s about-face on the Trans-Pacific Partnership is unwarranted.
“[Y]ou look at Marco Rubio, you look at Jeb Bush and the changes in their position to twist and distort themselves to appeal to the same people who want to elect Donald Trump president. It’s something to see. And I just don’t hear enough talk about that,” she said, criticizing the hosts of Morning Joe.
“I just don’t think to pick on her because she is now saying she doesn’t think this is going to meet her high bar for various protections that she thinks needs to be in place,” she added. “She and I may disagree on it. I haven’t decided yet. I voted for TPA; I haven’t decided on TPP. But I really don’t think that this is an indication that she is somehow unprincipled or weak. I think that’s totally wrong.”
McCaskill argued that just because Clinton supported TPP as secretary of state doesn’t mean that she has to like the deal now.
“The notion that as the secretary of state in a different administration that wanted to get a strong deal, that somehow that removes her ability to make an independent analysis as an independent candidate for president is just unfair,” McCaskill said.
“This is not easy,” she added, referring to Clinton’s campaign. “I wish we would have the same time to talk about the distortions and pretzel-like behavior from other candidates.”
Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski wasn’t about to take the criticism lying down, and she responded to McCaskill in kind.
“Hold on. I want to hear what you have to say, Claire. I think sometimes you might misunderstand questions and take it as like an attack, and I think that’s a political ploy. I think that’s a game that’s been played since the 70s and it’s getting old,” Brzezinski said.
