Revealed at Libby Trial: Russert Hates Chris Matthews

It’s hard to find someone to root for in this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the inner workings of the Gang of 500 in Washington.

Matalin called Joe Wilson a “snake,” which is ironic coming from a GOP operative. Wilson is one of the few true patriots in his drama.

At Scooter Libby’s perjury trial on Tuesday, lawyers argued about whether to admit notes Libby took from a conversation he had with former Vice Pres. Cheney adviser, Mary Matalin, in the week before Bob Novak revealed the secret identity of WMD specialist Valerie Plame. But the juiciest bit from the notes had nothing to do with the trial:

According to the notes, Matalin told Libby that Wilson’s charge was fitting into the “Democratic story on the Hill” and that the “story is not going away.” The notes say, “We need to address the Wilson motivation.” Matalin suggested that Libby call Meet the Press host Tim Russert. “He hates Chris — he needs to know it all,” the notes say, in a reference to Hardball host Chris Matthews, who had been promoting Wilson’s accusations on the air and slamming Libby by name. On the same page, Libby wrote, “Wilson is a snake.”

This is how the nation’s capital works. A scandal erupts, and the spinners go into damage control and try to manipulate the press however they can. In this instance, Matalin apparently believed Cheney’s office could play Russert against Matthews.

Chris Matthews is loathesome, especially when he chews up airtime with his spittle-spewing hatred of all things Clinton. And while this does edge my estimation of Tim Russert up from minus-50 to minus-49.5, now we know that even Vice Pres. Cheney considered him to be an easily manipulated Republican media tool.

The fact that Libby’s notes indicated that Matalin referried to Joe Wilson as a “snake” is particularly telling. Republicans like her are constantly impugning the patriotism of anyone who dares to criticize this administration. Joe Wilson is nearly unique among the players in this drama in that he did the right thing in ratting them out for lying to the American people. His behavior — unlike Matalin’s, Libby’s or their bosses’ — was truly patriotic.

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Revealed at Libby Trial: Russert Hates Chris Matthews

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Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”