Hillary Clinton stated at the CNN Town Hall event Tuesday night that she will release her Wall Street transcripts when everyone does, including the Republican presidential candidates.
On Morning Joe Wednesday morning, columnist Al Hunt responded to this claim, saying "anybody who makes $675,000 from Wall Street speeches ought to release them. Anybody, okay? If you go and get one speech--I mean, she made a lot of money from those speeches. She didn't need that money."
Host Joe Scarborough said that he could understand why Clinton would want the playing field leveled.
"Why should I unilaterally disarm?" he asked. "If I release all of my speech transcripts, then I want Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Kasich."
Columnist Ron Fournier had a rebuttal by stating exactly why she should release her transcripts regardless.
"First of all, she told the American public that ‘when I gave those speeches I took on Wall Street," Fournier said. "I told them what they got to do. They got to do it a better way.’ If that was true, she would have released them, OK? So, I suspect she's not telling the truth. This is an era of transparency. The public has a right to know. Release it. The fact that when she says, you know, why should I do it, everybody else doesn't? Because you want to be president. Because supposedly you're better than the Republican Party. Are you not better than the Republican Party? Is that the standard now? You'll only be as good as the people you tell us are evil. No. You say you're going to be better. So be better. Release the transcripts and let us make our own decision."
Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele pointed out that it seems as if she's "moving the goalpost" by saying before she would look into releasing the transcripts, and now she'll only do it if everyone else does as well.
"You can see with each step she moves the goalpost and makes it even more questionable," he said. "And so, why are you held to a different standard? Because you do things that hold you to a different standard."
Full exchange:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Okay, I can tell from the grumbling around the set that I'm going to be alone here. But, maybe it's just the politician in me. I understand exactly what Hillary was saying in there. Why should I unilaterally disarm? When I don't have, forget about Bernie Sanders, I'm just assuming I'm going to beat Bernie Sanders, but if I release all of my speech transcripts, then I want Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Kasich. And that's why I said, that's why I said,-- everybody was grumbling going, it was like parliament making fun of labor's leaders--
AL HUNT: Anybody who makes $675,000 from Wall Street speeches ought to release them. Anybody, okay? If you go and get one speech--I mean, she made a lot of money from those speeches. She didn't need that money.
SCARBOROUGH: That's fine.
HUNT: That's fine. That's absolutely fine. It's the American way.
SCARBOROUGH: What's wrong with saying ‘I'll release them when the Republicans release them?’
RON FOURNIER: Here's why, Joe. First of all, she told the American public that ‘when I gave those speeches I took on Wall Street. I told them what they got to do. They got to do it a better way.’ If that was true, she would have released them, okay? So, I suspect she's not telling the truth. This is an era of transparency, the public has a right to know. Release it. The fact that when she says, you know, why should I do it, everybody else doesn't? Because, you want to be president. Because supposedly you're better than the Republican Party. Are you not better than the Republican party? Is that the standard now? You'll only be as good as the people you tell us are evil. No. You say you're going to be better. So be better. Release the transcripts and let us make our own decision.
MICHAEL STEELE: And again, she moves the goalpost. Because if you go back to when it originally came up, she said, ‘I'll be happy to release them.’ Now, it's ‘I'll be happy to release them if Republicans do.‘
HUNT: Well first it was if Bernie Sanders does.
SCARBOROUGH: That was a foolish promise.
STEELE: If Bernie does. You can see with each, with each step she moves the goalpost and makes it even more questionable. And so, why are you held to a different standard? Because you do things that hold you to a different standard.