MSNBC's Scarborough: Clinton Blaming Comey, WikiLeaks for Loss to Trump 'Pathetic'

Morning show pundits Wednesday lambasted former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's contention that she lost her race to President Donald Trump because of the actions of FBI Director James Comey and WikiLeaks, with most agreeing that she should take blame for the loss.

"That was pathetic, I'll say it," MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough said during a panel discussion about Clinton's comments. "Everybody I've talked to Democrats, independents, Republicans and the like said that is pathetic."

Scarborough said for years, he wanted his own daughter to emulate Clinton "for her toughness and her grittiness and her perseverance. I've never seen anybody in public life as tough as Hillary Rodham Clinton."

Clinton, he continued, has kept getting up and fighting back "more than anybody I have ever seen," not just in politics, but in life, and she should be admired for that.

But by blaming Comey and WikiLeaks for her loss, "this is a trait that I don't want anybody I know to carry," he said.

Comey, WikiLeaks, Russia, and more played a major role, but "at the end of the day, the buck stops at the top," Scarborough said. "This was a pathetic campaign, a horrific campaign."

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a frequent show guest, commented that it's time for Clinton to move on.

"She never articulated her case for president," said Haass. "This sort of stuff, it doesn't help her, it doesn't help the Democratic Party or the country's debate."

Scarborough said that as long as the Democratic National Convention in July, word was breaking that Clinton's campaign was in serious trouble in Pennsylvania, including from former Gov. Ed Rendell, and from Vice President Joe Biden, "who came on our air and said 'we're in trouble in Pennsylvania, she's in trouble with white working class voters."

Even former President Bill Clinton was saying the same behind the scenes, Scarborough said, and former President Barack Obama "was behind the scenes worried all along."

"I think Comey had a huge impact in this campaign, but let others say it, back in July and August, you had the best minds in the Democratic Party saying she's going to lose this race if she's not careful," said Scarborough.

Show co-host Mika Brzezinski reiterated her belief that Clinton had waged an "arrogant campaign."

"Get off your high horse . . . this campaign is arrogant and still doesn't have a message," Brzezinski remembered saying at the time.

On Fox News' "Fox & Friends," co-host Brian Kilmeade noted that Clinton was blaming the exposure of her staff's communications, and the revelations about her use of a private server for the loss, rather than blaming the deeds.

"She is the one that put Comey in that spot to begin with," said Kilmeade.

Another of the show's hosts, Steve Doocy, further slammed Clinton's claim that if the election was held on Oct. 27, she would have won.

"She came out and said she didn't have a [private] server and she didn't have more than one device," said Doocy. "It turned out all of that was false. People didn't trust her."

Kilmeade agreed that Clinton had no theme for her campaign, basing his argument on the book "Shattered," which detailed her campaign and why it failed.

"She didn't know if she was Bill Clinton's third term or Barack Obama's third term or what she stood for," said Kilmeade.

But Trump, said Doocy, had a message. In addition, her base did not come out to vote and Trump's did, he said. Further, another analysis showed that two-thirds of Obama's voters ended up voting for Trump.

On CNN's "New Day" program, commentator Errol Louis said that Clinton is showing a "sense of denial," as there were still issues on the ground in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan at that time.

"That is what should keep her up at night," he said. "The Democratic Party needs to [keep] going."

CNN Political Analyst David Gregory said he does believe Clinton was right about some of what she said, as Comey threw "overboard Justice Department procedures because of political reasons" and because "of the hatred for Hillary Clinton with the FBI."

However, he said, Clinton "misread the mood of the country," and she was not honest about the "terrible judgment" made by her use of a private email server.

"Republicans came home for Donald Trump when she and others did not feel they would," said Gregory. "I don't think she is forthcoming in a way she should have been in that taking real responsibility for the fact she was not what the country wanted. What enough of the electorate wanted to make her president?"

Former FBI and CIA official Philip Mudd also weighed in, saying the "best thing to ever happen to Hillary Clinton was Donald Trump," but she still lost.

"If you had gone back to 2014 with a crystal ball and told the Clinton campaign and say you will face Donald Trump in a general election, they would have had a week-long party," said Mudd.

"She lost Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and Wisconsin. She beat Trump on the coast among elites. She didn't have a message."