Andrea Mitchell Obama Fake Interviews

During a July 21, 2008, episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews, journalist Andrea Mitchell commented that, during his visit to Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was giving "fake interviews."¹

Mitchell then refused to comment on the success of Obama's trip, saying that there was no way of knowing what had been edited "on the sidelines."²

Fast Facts

1. Comments made on July 21, 2008
2. Made during an episode of Hardball with Chris Matthews
3. Matthews' other guest, Roger Simon, indicated the trip had been a success¹
4. Andrea Mitchell is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC²
5. Mitchell criticized the Obama Campaign's handling of media during his visits to Iraq and Afghanistan²

Quotes

"You're seeing selected pictures taken by the military, questions by the military and what some would call fake interviews because they're not interviews from a journalist...politically, it's smart as can be, but we have not seen a presidential candidate do this, in my recollection, ever before"—Andrea Mitchell²

"Being a reporter who was not present in any of those situations, I just can't report on what was edited out, what was on the sidelines...we don't know what we are seeing."—Andrea Mitchell²

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