September 21, 2016, 03:23 pm
Clinton camp fears debate moderators will 'lower the bar' for Trump
By Jesse Byrnes
Hillary Clinton's campaign says it fears that debate moderators will lower their expectations for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“My biggest concern is not a view of any moderator, but just that people accommodate their questions and lower the bar of their questions to suit the candidate in front of them,” Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri told reporters on Clinton's plane Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
"That has happened with Trump in the past," she said.
The Clinton aide said that the former secretary of State receives "much harder questions" than Trump because she has put forward detailed material, while Trump has not. That leaves Trump to field "one-dimensional" questions, she said.
Clinton and Trump are managing expectations ahead of their debate Monday night at Hofstra University in New York, the first of three scheduled debates, which is expected to draw a huge audience. The debate comes as recent polls indicate a tight race between the pair.
Trump has argued that debates are being "gamed," pointing to criticism of NBC's Matt Lauer, who was accused of going too easy on Trump when moderating a forum with both candidates earlier this month.
"In trying to hit Matt, they are trying to game the system, game the ref," Trump said Tuesday during a rally in North Carolina.
Trump said that he thought NBC's Lester Holt, who will moderate Monday's debate, "will be very fair."
"But a lot of people will be watching to see if that’s true," he said.
Earlier this week Trump accused Holt of being a Democrat; a Time report found Holt has been a registered Republican since at least 2003.
Trump also said last week that he didn't want CNN's Anderson Cooper to moderate a debate.
His campaign has circulated a drafted memo to GOP allies aimed at lowering expectations ahead of Monday's debate, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The memo notes that "Trump has never run for political office before," while also remarking on Clinton's preparation and "extensive experience debating."
Holt has picked "America's direction," "securing America" and "achieving prosperity" as the topics for Monday's debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates said this week.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/297073-clinton-camp-fears-debate-moderators-will-lower-the-bar
