Media Matters: First Detail On New Anti-Hillary Book Is A Lie

[Mark E. Smith]

Media Matters for America 6/7/05

One easily checked claim about Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) - - which an e-mail newsletter from the right-wing website NewsMax.com hyped as a major revelation from a new book devoted to attacking her -- is false.

According to the June 5 edition of "Insider Report," NewsMax's e-mail-only newsletter, "NewsMax pundit" John LeBoutillier, a former Republican congressman, recently interviewed author Ed Klein about his book, "The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President," which is excerpted in the July issue of Vanity Fair and is to be published by Sentinel, a
conservative imprint of Penguin Putnam, June 21.

"LeBoutillier says the book will reveal Hillary's struggle with New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to get his seat. Though a Democrat, Moynihan had little use for Hillary," NewsMax reported.

"Oddly, Pat Moynihan never uttered Hillary's name -- not even once -- during this event. He could not bring himself to mention Hillary by name -- but the press reported his 'endorsement' just the same."

But a CNN transcript from July 7, 1999, shows that Moynihan in fact said both "Mrs. Clinton" and Hillary Clinton" in making his endorsement:

"Mrs. Clinton and I have been up in the schoolhouse just for a little bit, which you can see over there ..."

And:

"... Hillary Clinton established an exploratory committee as regards candidacy for the Senate, United States Senate, from New York, a seat which I will vacate in a year and a half...I'm here to say that I hope she will go all the way. I mean to go all the way with her. I think she's going to win. I think it's going to be wonderful for New York, and we'll be proud of our senator and the nation will notice."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200506060001