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Andrea Mitchell: I May Have Been 'Too Aggressive' Covering Hillary Clinton, 'Can't Think of' Instances of Biased Reporting

NBC's Andrea Mitchell / Getty Images
July 21, 2017

NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell said in an interview published Tuesday that she may have been "too aggressive" covering Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election and could not think of any instances during her career when she showed bias in her reporting.

Fashion magazine Women's Wear Daily asked Mitchell if she thought there was ever a time when she went too far and showed bias in her reporting.

"Do you feel that you've ever gone too far where you've shown bias in your reporting?," reporter  Alexandra Steigrad asked.

Mitchell could not recall any instances when she was biased.

"Everything is subjective to a certain extent. Let me think about that. I'm sure there have been times where I have—either through not enough reporting or through some sort of incipient opinion—let something creep in. I can't think of it," Mitchell said.

Mitchell added that she may have been too aggressive while covering Clinton.

"Maybe I've been too aggressive at times? I know some of the candidates that I've covered might think I've been too aggressive," Mitchell said. "I know that Hillary Clinton didn't like being asked a lot of the questions she got asked on rope lines, but if she had had more news conferences and been more accessible, maybe we wouldn't have to chase her down at rope lines. That is what everyone had to do."

During the 2016 campaign, Mitchell noted how she had trouble keeping up with Clinton's stamina. She claimed the following month that accusations that former interim Democratic National Committee chair and CNN political analyst Donna Brazile fed the Clinton campaign a town hall question was "completely knocked down."

In another instance, Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill wrote something on his phone and showed it to Mitchell before she asked Clinton a softball question. Mitchell denied that she was fed a question.

Days before the election, Mitchell declared that the FBI probe into Clinton's private email server was "the worst possible situation" for the country.

Despite Mitchell's "aggressive" coverage, Clinton still professed her admiration for the NBC and MSNBC host during a press conference.

"I love you, Andrea. You are indefatigable," Clinton said, laughing. "You're my kind of woman, I'll tell you what."

Mitchell said during the Women's Wear Daily interview that Trump's actions are demeaning the presidency.

"I think it diminishes and demeans the presidency. It affects the credibility of the White House as well as the way people view our institutions, and that includes the media," Mitchell said.