Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina shut down MSNBC host Chris Matthews Thursday over her criticism of Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton during the first GOP debate.
Matthews took issue with Fiorina calling Clinton a liar in her closing statement, but Fiorina quickly shot back that Clinton lied about Benghazi, the Middle East, and her private email server.
"First, I was very specific about the subjects about which I think she has lied. I didn't say she lied about everything," Fiorina said. "I was very specific, very fact-based, actually. You are the one who has made a generalized comment now about her, not me."
Matthews tried to interrupt the only female Republican candidate, but Fiorina spoke over him and explained why she thought Clinton lied. She then made her case why Clinton should fear debating her.
"I will debate her on the issues facing this nation," she said. "I will debate her on her positions. I will ask her, for example, how she can possibly continue to defend Planned Parenthood. I will ask her why she continues to say she is a champion of the middle class while every single proposal she has put forward makes crony capitalism worse and worse and worse [and] makes income inequality worse.
"I would ask her why she declared victory in Iraq in 2011, why she called Bashar al-Assad a positive reformer, why she thought she could stop Putin's ambition, a man I have met, with a gimmicky red reset button. I will ask her why she got every policy wrong as secretary of state. That's how I'll debate her, on the issues."
After their exchange, Matthews had only one thing to say to Fiorina, who was praised by the Washington Post as the first debate’s winner, "poised and confident."
"I see why you stood out tonight," he said.