Former Trump staffer Sam Nunberg suggested that the Senate Intelligence Committee was “very, very” interested in right-wing attacks on Hillary Clinton’s health which, as I wrote about in my last post, sprouted up on the Hannity show right around the time the Trump campaign may have been coordinating with Wikileaks on the effort.
As I previously posted, an item in special counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of Roger Stone states that a person believed to be former Infowars Washington Bureau chief (and originator of the birther conspiracy) Jerome Corsi emailed Stone on August 2, 2016 suggesting that it was a good time to start painting Hillary Clinton as “old, memory bad, has stroke,” as that would be the subject of a “very damaging” Wikileaks release in October.
Coincidentally, Sean Hannity aired a series of segments in early August, 2016 and beyond in which he baselessly suggested that Clinton had had seizures or some other kind of neurological problems. While that by no means proves Hannity was part of any Russian conspiracy, it certainly means that Fox News has some ‘splaining to do.
Now we know that the Senate Intelligence Committee is “very, very” interested in the subject of Clinton’s health, probably with regard to whether there was any coordination with the Trump campaign and Wikileaks and/or Russia to smear her on the subject.
Appearing on today’s AM Joy, Nunberg, who has cooperated with the investigations into Russia’s interference in our 2016 election, acknowledged that Stone and Trump had “talked frequently” in 2016 “but less so near the end of the campaign.”
Panelist and former prosecutor Maya Wiley asked if the two had talked during the first week in August.
“I would think so,” Nunberg replied.
Host Joy Reid followed up by specifically asking about the August email about Clinton’s health.
Nunberg gave a very careful response that equivocated on the subject of coordination:
NUNBERG: Senate Intel was very, very – they asked me numerous times about the Clinton health issue, the Clinton health issue. All I would say is that – just so the audience understands – this is an issue in conservative spheres, conservative media, since as early as 2013.
[…]
I would also tell you that Roger and I had conversations with then, Mr. Trump, in even mid-2014 about using her health. … With that said, it doesn’t mean that – I’m just, this was something that was going – Ed Klein, of all people, wrote about it, so this was something the Clintons were well aware of when they were preparing for their campaign.
Obviously, we don’t know what further information the Senate Intelligence Committee or the Mueller investigation has on the subject. But we do know that we are owed an honest and complete explanation about Hannity’s role in the effort.
Watch Nunberg below, from the January 26, 2019 AM Joy.