Journalists used the unexpected firing of NBC News anchor Matt Lauer for unspecified sexual misconduct as an opportunity to mention how hard he was on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.
Annie Karni, White House reporter for Politico, tweeted about how Hillary Clinton condemned Matt Lauer's performance during the 2016 Commander-in-Chief forum.
Karni's tweet came without relevant context, following tweets about the Instagram of Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and disagreements over the White House budget.
Hillary Clinton on Matt Lauer's performance during the Commander-in-Chief forum in 2016: "Trump should have reported his performance as an in-kind contribution.... I can't say I didn't fantasize about shaking some sense into Lauer while I was out there."
— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) November 29, 2017
BuzzFeed World correspondent Borzou Daragahi used the firing to remind followers to "not forget" about Lauer covering Clinton's email controversy.
https://twitter.com/borzou/status/935879579079716864
Mike Signorile, editor-at-large of HuffPost Queer connected the sexual misconduct of Lauer, former MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin, and New York Times White House correspondent Glenn Thrush with "anti-Hillary Clinton bias."
Let’s not forget: like Halperin and Glenn Thrush, Matt Lauer perpetuated the anti-Hillary Clinton bias day after day. Remember the infamous 'forum" in which he let Trump lie, softball questions, while being unfairly harsh on Clinton. https://t.co/QrlBzbBkDg
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) November 29, 2017
He referred to Lauer as a "right-winger and Trump apologist."
Matt Lauer IS a right-winger and Trump apologist. Haha. Remember the 'debate" in which he attacked Hillary and gave Trump a pass? https://t.co/QrlBzbBkDg
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) November 29, 2017
CNN political commentator Keith Boykin connected journalists' sexual misconduct with "the disproportionate emphasis on Hillary Clinton's faults" during the 2016 election.
Yes, Matt Lauer and Mark Halperin, in different ways, both contributed to the disproportionate emphasis on Hillary Clinton's faults during last year's campaign. https://t.co/NdPCx8bYhN
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 29, 2017
Janice Min of The Hollywood Reporter connected Lauer's "woman problem" with his "debacle" interview with Hillary Clinton.
https://twitter.com/janicemin/status/935869946357170177
The Washington Examiner also collected tweets and Facebook posts of major Clinton supporters making the link between Lauer's sexual misconduct and his treatment of Hillary Clinton.