president obama wasn't vetted as toughly during his campaign, despite jeremiah wright. you know president obama also wrote a book where there were composite characters and people under other names. it didn't seem to be quite as big a deal. >> all that was brought out and even i think there was an episode where he acknowledged using drugs in his youth. that was brought out but that wasn't quite as damaging about the idea that he was actually offered a scholarship to west point, obama's life story was of course at the core of his candidacy as well but i don't think what he was alleged to have done even his relationship with jeremiah wright which he explained in a very eloquent speech about race, i don't think any of that is as damaging as what has been alleged about becomes. >> bill snriert good to hav sche you with us. >>> strong job growth in october, businesses added 271,000 jobs the best month in almost a year. the unemployment rate dipped to 5% the lowest in seven and a half years. the numbers boost chances that the federal reserve will raise rates in december. >>> i

all the thing that's jeremiah wright was saying, oh, that's not a problem. goes to okcollege doesn't do th well, somehow ends up as columbia university. his records are sealed? why? why aren't you interested in why his records are sealed? let me ask you that. can somebody tell me why? >> why do you think they are? >> i'm asking why you're not interested in them being sealed. i'm asking you , will someone tell me, please, why you have not investigated that. i want to know. >> why are you raising it? >> because i want to know. you should want to know, too. wait a minute. hold on one minute. one second here. now, you're saying that something that happened with the words a scholarship was offered is a big deal but the president of the united states' academic records being sealed is not important? tell me how there's equivalency there. doesn't matter where it is. that's a silly argument. tell me how there's equivalency. tell me how there's equivalence there. somebody tell me, please. because, you see, what you're not going to find with me is somebody who's just g

friends he claims to have trouble remembering, and i will say that we did hear a lot of about jeremiah wrightwhen president obama was being vetted in 2008, but ben carson is raising these concerns. he is delivering the same message you just said, and none of the other candidates are being forced to answer to some of these claims that date decades past. so it's definitely one of the main defenses on his behalf. >> host: we talked about what ben carson's camp is saying and what the candidate's saying of let's she the sewers o been carson on "meet the press" answers the questions. >> vetting is a normal part of the process. did you not expect this? >> i have always said that i expect to be vetted. but being vetted and what is going on with me, you said this 30 years ago you said this 20 years ago i just -- i have not seen that with anyone else. if you can show me where that's happened with someone else, will take that statement back. >> i think almost every person who has been president -- >> not no like this. i have never seen this before. and many other people who are politically experienced t

spewing out of jeremiah wright's mouth.his makes it very difficult for us to -- americans have a good relationship with israel. it's just that our leader doesn't and that trickles down into all his smart mouth little call netanyahu a and youyou know what, can see it in the body language. when netanyahu and obama are sitting side-by-side, it's like netanyahu is turned away. obama is shooting daggers. us, really unfortunate for for america and for israel, and i do anticipate that this will change in approximately 442 days it is that obama leaves. thank you very much. host: thank you for the call. also a related tweets from will henry. saying, respect is a two-way street and our president's lack of respectfulness is plainly on the record. i have been very disappointed watching how this callow, juvenile white house staff has found every excuse to denigrate mr. netanyahu, not wish -- withstanding his obvious anger and unhappiness with his relationship with mr. obama. the fact of the matter is that i consider and recite chapter a

and for jeremiah wright. >> absolutely right.xample from obama's book that is almost an exact parallel with what's going on with carson. if you remember in that book obama talked about how the wayward period of his youth and he talked about drug use. he talked about smoking a lot of pot, but then there was also a line where he said maybe a little blow talking about cocaine. people went back and looked at that. and nobody could remember barack obama ever using cocaine. so, this very strange situation where he seemed to be suggesting his drug use was a little further out there than maybe it actually was. very similar with ben carson talking about his violent past maybe exaggerating or at least people not remembering it was that bad. so, there's almost an exact parallel with the way that obama's book was vetted. and as alison pointed out this morning, that's fine. people do that in memoirs, but if you are a memoir writer and you are presenting something as nonfiction, you need to disclose that. >> i do want to get your take, both of

they found 165 articles that concerned candidate obama and his relationship with the reverend jeremiah wright. it also found an additional 41 pieces on barack obama's links to chicago radical bill ayers. nbc's chris jansing caught up with carson from "meet the press". >> i have not seen that with anyone else. >> you don't think that bill clinton or the president with his birth certificate and people who -- >> no. not like this. >> people who refuse to believe. >> not each close. >> today, one of carson's advisers appeared on andrea mitchell reports and seemed to view the controversy through a different lens than carson. >> of course, you've got to always keep in mind it's from his perspective and it's from the fact that he's in the line of fire, but the vetting process is very necessary and it is critical. >> recent media reports have raised questions about his childhood and whether he was offered admission to west point and a class he took at yale. >> hillary clinton surrounded by a club of supporters atoday. she was there to file paperwork to be on the ballot for the nation's first primary.

and "washington post" focusing on president obama and senator obama, and his former path are jeremiah wright. hillary clinton with dozens of articles on hillary clinton and her e-mail server. he was asked his opinion of this process so far and he said it doesn't appear to be something he's having all that much fun with. he said this is not something he always wanted to do but he felt called to do it to help the country. >> so what do you think is going on? why you? >> because i'm a threat. >> to? >> to the progressives, the secular progressive movement in this country. would i have preferred to be doing something else? certainly. but it is important to me. when i think about the sacrifices made before us to ensure we have the freedom we have now, it's the very least that i can do. >> reporter: ben carson insists the media and others are showing desperation to try to tarnish imhim. >> what are rivals like trump or others of the party saying about the scrutiny? >> it's a little bit of a range. you talked about reince priebus calling this a crazy obsession but some of this many believe this is

i will say that we did hear a lot about jeremiah wright when president obama was being vetted in 2008carson has certainly raised these concerns. he is delivering the same message that you just said, and that none of the other candidates are being forced to answer from some of these claims that date decades past. definitely one of the main defenses on his behalf. host: we have talked about what ben carson's cap has been saying. it's show ben carson on "meet the press." >> vetting is a normal part of the process. did you not expect this? >> i have always said i expect to be vetted but being vetted and what is going on with me, you said this 30 years ago, 20 exist, i, this did not have not seen that with anyone else. thatu can show me where has happened with someone else, i will take that statement back. >> i think almost every person who has been president -- >> not like this. many other people who are politically experienced tell me they have never seen it before, either. >> we do not think bill clinton or the president with his birth certificate -- >> not even close. you think is goin

had with some questionable people, he specifically went out of his way last night to mention jeremiah wright. he said these relationships have not been necessarily really run down. i want to play for you a little bit more of what he said last night. >> wait a minute. hold on one minute. one second here. now, you're saying that something that happened with the words, a scholarship was offered was a big deal. but the president of the united states -- tell me -- wait a minute, tell me how -- tell me how there's equivalency there. doesn't matter where it is. if you tell me how. that's a silly argument. tell me how there's equivalence there. tell me how there is equivalence there. tell me, somebody, please. >> you can certainly sense the frustration in his tone there. definitely trying to redirect the focus on the media and coverage he's receiving over these questions. we are here in puerto rico this weekend where carson will hold an event tomorrow in san juan. definitely, his hope is to rechange the narrative, try to re-take control of it. >> right. although he said this narrative has been good

was america's media darling, which i acknowledge he became, they were tearing this man apart on jeremiah wrightill ayers. >> mermercedes, do you agree or disagree? >> i don't agree. there was a lovefest, if you remember chris matthews and several others had a lovefest with president obama, then candidate obama. let me tell you, they did not dig deep into the stories with the book that he wrote. they never talked -- they talked about the marijuana and cocaine. they never went after to talk to the drug dealers who gave it to the then candidate barack barack. i think it has not played out equally. this has been definitely what i believe is a witch hunt for ben carson. there's a target definitely for this candidate. >> quick point, though, gretchen. respectfully, it wasn't just the conservative groups that were vetting barack obama. mainstream media, too. "the washington post" had 165 articles just about the -- >> but there were a lot of other issues they never looked into. >> eboni -- >> there were issues they never looked into. >> i've got to wrap it there, laid diz. we struck a nerve here. i kno

nomination before any reporter bothered to dig into the story of you may know this man now, reverend jeremiah wright and how the obamas had for years attended sermons by controversial pastor that featured calls for god to, quote, damn america and off-color stories about president clinton have sex in the oval office. i don't remember that one. plenty of others though. what about the fact that mr. obama said that the march on selma was what led to his conception, only problem. he was 3 years old when the march of selma happened so that's weird. that doesn't work. and where was the vetting of obama's memoir "dreams from my father?" it wasn't until 2012, 2012, when a "washington post" writer published an obama biography that disputed more than three dozen claims in that memoir, and while the current media is clearly obsessed with carson's college years, the big leagues have yet to produce a single transcript from president obama's time at columbia university. much of this has been floated over the years by our next guest, michelle malkin, syndicated conservative blogger and author and author of the new

incredibly troubling things he is associating himself with the a poe plexcy the comments pastor jeremiah wrights greeted in 2008 and the vast difference and scrutiny whether or not the comments meant then-candidate barack obama was some sort of a radical, black nationalist radical intending to foist himself off on the united states and the ease with which ted cruz has been able to navigate so far, other than yourself, not being held to account necessarily for these views, some of the more extreme views like this unfortunately do find an audience. fed cruz, we can call it desperation, whatever you want, ambition to get ahead in the republican party, is saying he will take any pocket of this religious right piece because he can take it from ben carson, he can take what little mike huckabee has and he can corral that third and then if he can combine that third with being able to take donald trump's third once, you know, in the imagination of a lot of republicans, somehow trump disappears, he's got two-thirds of that republican three-legged stool. i think the calculation is literally that cynical.

. >> wait a minute, they went after barack obama for jeremiah wright, for the church he went to -- >> the unbiased media, and when the other media did do it, it was to try to clear him -- >> no, it was the voters saw this for what it was, a witch hunt against barack obama. obviously, the voters knew about it but didn't care enough to not vote -- >> isç that what it is? is that what journalists going and looking at the background of individuals running for president s that a witch hunt, or is that the media doing their job? i mean, that becomes the question. jon: let's take a listen to what dr. carson had to say yesterday on "meet the press" about this whole bruhaha. >> i have always said that i expect to be vetted. but being evented and what is going on with -- vetted and what is going on with me, you said this 30 years ago, this 20 years ago, this didn't exist, you know, i have not seen that with anyone else. if you could show me where that's happened with someonet( else, i will take that statement back. jon: and -- >> i mean, sarah palin went through this. they did this to her. joh

there were hundreds of stories about his relationship with reverend jeremiah wright.hem. >> that's just in two newspapers. that doesn't include all the other stories and other newspapers and television stations. in some ways, carson is getting off easy right now. my problem is that it's a little bit of a lazy-minded way of doing reporting. >> how so? >> it's just so easy to go, let's compare what he said in this book to what other people say. there's a lot more important things that they should be doing in addition to vetting his past. for instance, when he says the pyramids weren't for the pharaohs, they were to hold grain. that raises a whole series of questions that need to be pursued about the way he views global history. does he believe that the dinosaurs were only a couple thousand years ago like some other republicans have in recent years? what are the implications of that? having somebody who doesn't believe in science. >> do you think carson gets asked about that tomorrow night? >> he should be. he should be asked more those kinds of questions that go to his

we found 165 combined "new york times" and "washington post" stories about obama and jeremiah wright,or instance, once he announced his candidacy in 2007. an additional 41 stories about barack obama and chicago radical bill ayers. if you go back to bill clinton, there were 69 combined "new york times" and "washington post" stories all about jennifer flowers during the 1992 campaign, a lot more about the draft, the letter he had written as a college student to colonel holmes. so isn't this par for the course, what happens when you become a front-running democratic or republican candidate? >> i think all candidates, particularly, andrea, presidents of the united states when they are going through that lens of scrutiny, feel that they are being singled out because they are in the eye of the storm and they cannot really recall the history that you just mentioned in your research, so dr. carson just feels that he's being highly scrutinized and from his perspective, he cannot recall this ever happening to any other candidate before. of course, you've got to always keep in mind, it's from hi

york times" and "washington post" articles that were all or partially about barack obama and jeremiah wrightween the time obama first launched his presidential bid and his 2008 victory. during that same time period we found an additional 41 "new york times" and washington poefrt pieces on obama and bill ayers. and from the start of her campaign until now we've discovered a combination of 44 "new york times"/"washington post" articles about hillary clinton and her e-mail server. would dr. carson be better served not blame being the media and answering some of these questions since they are so tied in to his story line and why he believes he's qualified to be president? >> well, he can't answer the questions -- >> well, matt can answer. >> look, i think in the short term i think ben carson is making hay out of this. i think in the short term it is probably politically segatious to wine about the liberal media bias. i think that's the last refuge of a losing campaign. think what dr. carson might have done is rather than have an adversarial or hostile relationship with the media for example woul

i will say that we did hear a , butbout jeremiah wright ben carson has raised these concerns, deliveringhe same message that you said that none of the other candidates are being forced to answer to some of these claims that date decades. the maininitely one of differences on his behalf. host: we talked a bit about what ben carson's cap is saying and the candidate is saying, let's show our viewers again ben carson on "meet the press." [video clip] >> did you not expect this? >> i have always said i expected to be vetted, but being vetted, and what is going on with me -- you said the 30 years ago, you said this 20 years ago, this doesn't exist -- i have not seen that with anyone else. if you could show me where that is happening with someone else, i will take that statement back. >> i think almost every person -- this. like i have never seen this before. many other people with political experience tell me they have never seen this before. >> you don't think bill clinton or the president with his birth certificate? >> not even close. about what you think is going on? why you? >> because i'm

barack obama, did barack obama not get it with jeremiah wright? how many times did we talk and how many times did the national media.com about him saying [ bleep ] the united states the sunday after 9/11. we all heard about bill aiers and everything with barack obama. ben carson has been given cotton candy and treated to lollipops by the main stream media. i've never seen a candidate treated as gently as ben carson has been treated. you can't even say it about donald trump. >> mocked, ridiculed and cast aside. >> i'm sorry, put some historical spectrum on this over how presidents and candidates are going through much worse than ben carson having one or two bad articles written about hill. >> let's not do 50. andrew jackson thought his wife had died because john quincy adams' campaign had been so negative about when they were divorced. abraham lincoln was attacked in the most vicious kinds of terms. franklin roosevelt was attacked in the most vicious terms. this is part of the political process. you do end up facing questions of every kind. i remem

all the thing that's jeremiah wright was saying, oh, that's not a problem.t do th well, somehow ends up as columbia university. his records are sealed? why?

all the things that jeremiah wright was saying. and somehow ends up at columbia university.ealed. why are his records sealed. why are you not interested in why his records are sealed? tell me why. >> why do you think they are? >> i'm asking you why it is sealed. i'm asking you will someone tell me, please why you have not investigated that? i want to know. >> why are you raising it? >> because i want to know. you should want to know, too. hold on one minute, one second here. you are saying that something that happened with the words scholarship was offered is a big deal but president of the united states his academic record being sealed -- tell me how there is equivalency there. get to the silly argument. tell me how there is equivalency there. tell me somebody, please. because you see what you are not going to find with me is somebody who is just going to sit back and let you be completely unfair without letting the american people know what is going on. the american people are waking up to your games. >> dr. carson, do you think that it would have been this level of scruti

so with president obama i remember talking for many weeks writing stories about the reverend jeremiah wrightther aspects of president obama's past. there are countless examples of that. we have given hillary clinton a very thorough vetting. to find this kind of examination into a candidate's past unusual, i'm just a little puzzled by that. this is someone who is running for president of the united states. >> maeve rest on to, keep doing your job, thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> as we will continue, and i know others will as well, these different candidates' stories, because look at how he's doing in the polls. he's doing well. another big question will the scrutiny impact his momentum moving forward. with me now is associate e editor of the hill and ben ferguson. welcome to both of you. if i may, i know other networks are talking about our reporting and asking ben carson himself if we the media, liberal media, that's their word, trying to end his campaign. it's our job, especially with the candidate who is very bright man. he doesn't have a voting record. he has no real politic

hillary clinton raised that as early as the primaries and that continued to be an issue until jeremiah wright if you google.com and you will see all the news coverage that for barack obama's association with him god. and there was also coverage about barack obama's drug use as a young man in college that was not positive and there were lots of questions as far as what he did and didn't do as far as drugs when he was a young man. i encourage everybody to take a deep breath. take thisy don't leaning r or d. it's to be fair and make sure everybody is aware for the questions being asked. host: let's go to debbie in albuquerque, independent line. caller: good morning. i wasn't going to waste my call but i keep getting aggravated because people keep calling saying obama's records are sealed. would you please inform your -- it's called the family educational rights and privacy act of 1974. with that federal law, all school records, all college records, are sealed. nobody gets access to them. it wasn't a conspiracy to just feel his records. everybody's records are sealed. putunless he decides to them

we have 165 total stories about then senator obama and jeremiah wright, 41 stories about obama and bill ayers, 44 stories about hillary clinton and her e-mail server. your critics say this level of scrutiny comes with being a front-runner. did you and your team do opposition research and prepare dr. carson for what would be inevitable? because he doesn't have an executive record. what he has are his books and his anecdotes. >> there has been opposition research done on dr. carson in terms of things that would matter. but if he was in seventh grade or eighth grade when these incidents happened, that's not the type of -- the level of scrutiny we thought the media would be concerned about. >> but it was just a month ago on october 9th that he said i was offered a full scholarship to west point, got to meet general westmoreland, go to congressional medal of honor dirns but decided my pathway would be medicine. that was a month ago today. how do you explain? >> i think that in his view, it is accurate that he was offered admittance to west point. >> deana, was he vetted or nominated? he was

all of the things that jeremiah wright said, oh well. somehow, he ended up at -- university.ot interested in his records? let me ask that. can somebody tell me why? asking you why nobody was interested in his records. don't change it. if someone would tell me please what you have not investigated this? i want to know. you supported him. hold on one minute. one second. you are saying that something --t happened with the words a scholarship is offered -- is a big deal but the president of the united states is not -- >> but the -- carson: tell me how that is fair? host: that is ben carson last friday. a fund-raising everett has been put out in light of this recent story. the letter goes on to say that the news has been tracking down and talking to my childhood friends. host: let's hear from jim in maryland on the independent line. caller: hi, i am not sure who i am supporting for president that if this is how the press is top,ing carson as over the 50 years ago, they went into childhood things and i have to believe that this is a race-based issue. because ben carson dares to say

all the things that jeremiah wright said, oh, not a big problem.llege, doesn't d all that well, somehow ends up at columbia university. well, i don't know? his record is sealed? why are you guys not interested in why his record, sealed? can somebody tell me why? >> let's talk now with our cnn political commentators, ben ferguson and jeffrey ward. ben, with you first, he says the claims are not relevant and he's going to benefit from what he calls piling on of the media. what's your take? >> i agree. i'll give you a great idea of how absurd this west point scholarship quote/unquote issue is. if you're a student athlete, you have a ton of coaches if you're good at the sport you play that will come to you and say, we would love to have you at the university of x. later on, people will actually ask you, after your college you choose, hey, who wanted you, who gave you scholarship offers? you go through the list. others will ask you, who has talked to you? who has said they want you? and that is any athlete, any student that's coveted in high school will

jeremiah wright is viciously antiwhite.here aretrump said criminals come from mexico, he was vilified and per trade as a racist. sold into slavery by other blacks. that is never discussed. there is still slavery going on in africa. the irish were put down a coal mines to deal with toxic fumes. cotton, i got to pick would rather pick cotton been themes. minds man working in the lost his job for some reason come argue was killed, the family was evicted from the house. what kind of treatment is that? we can always criticize white racism, but we never hear the criticism of black people, which is i think can be much worse. host: that is thomas in maryland. in pennsylvania. independent line. caller: good morning. i'm a 50-year-old white male. i have worked in the university for many years, i'm not a professor, i am not a member of the aristocracy. i can tell you that when it comes to talking about political issues, social issues and a lot, i just cannot talk about it. because, i know that if i say the wrong thing to the wrong per

been accused of being a secret closet muslim but also being errant christian because you recall jeremiah wright> we're experiencing technical difficulties. we're taking a look at another program going on. >> here is look at best-selling non-fiction books according to "usa today." fox news host bill o'reilly along with martin dugard are on the list with a look how the attempted assassination of ronald reagan shaped his presidency in "killing reagan." another fox news host, brian kilmeade is on the list along with don yeager provides history of barbary wars. in "thomas jefferson and tripoli pirates." donald trump's book, quote crippled america" how to reform the economy and strengthen the military. ben carson on "usa today"'s list with a more perfect union. he argues for a better understanding of the constitution. next up jocco willick and leif babin applies lessons from knave sy seals to business and life in extreme ownership. some of titles on "usa today"'s list on best-selling nonfiction lists examination of 1692 salem witch trials by pulitzer prize-winning author, stacy schief several of thes

i will say that we did hear a , butbout jeremiah wright ben carson has raised these concerns, delivering the same message that you said that none of the other candidates are being forced to answer to some of these claims that date decades. the maininitely one of differences on his behalf. host: we talked a bit about what ben carson's cap is saying and the candidate is saying, let's show our viewers again ben carson on "meet the press." [video clip] >> did you not expect this? >> i have always said i expected to be vetted, but being vetted, and what is going on with me -- you said the 30 years ago, you said this 20 years ago, this doesn't exist -- i have not seen that with anyone else. if you could show me where that is happening with someone else, i will take that statement back. >> i think almost every person -- this. like i have never seen this before. many other people with political experience tell me they have never seen this before. >> you don't think bill clinton or the president with his birth certificate? >> not even close. about what you think is going on? why you? >> because i