NBC faces criticism for Clinton cough story

645X363 - Full Sharing - Additional videos are suggested upon completion
 
NBC News is facing harsh criticism from Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonTop Dems prep for future while out of the spotlight New report finds that voter turnout in 2016 topped 2012 Former CIA official and Clinton backer: 'Smoke but no fire' in Trump's Russia ties MORE's campaign and her supporters for publishing an article on a coughing fit the Democratic presidential nominee experienced on Monday in Cleveland. 
 
 
Reporter Andrew Rafferty wrote:
 
"I've been talking so much," Clinton said with a hoarse voice. "Every time I think about Trump, I get allergic." …
 
The frog in Clinton's throat on Monday was one of the most aggressive she's had during her 2016 run and left her almost unable to finish her remarks.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
Clinton traveling press secretary, Nick Merrill, slammed the report on Twitter, writing to Rafferty, “get a life.”
 
President Obama's former speechwriter Jon Favreau did likewise, asking, “Is there anyone at NBC, or anywhere else, who's willing to defend this story?”
 
MSNBC's Ari Melber called it "one of the worst coughing fits" he had ever seen while anchoring coverage of Clinton's Cleveland rally on Labor Day. 
 
Clinton would later experience another coughing episode on her campaign plane while holding her first press conference with reporters since December 2015. The fit went on for so long that Clinton had to excuse herself to go to the front of the plane for water. 
 
Fox News, which covered the press conference live, cut away from the live coverage aboard the plane as a result. 
 
The Clinton campaign blamed the cough on allergies. 
 
Trump, however, said the story wasn't getting enough attention outside of social media. 
 
“Mainstream media never covered Hillary’s massive ‘hacking’ or coughing attack, yet it is #1 trending. What’s up?” he tweeted.
 
Rafferty has been a political reporter for NBC News for almost four years and worked for NBC's “Meet the Press” as a producer prior.