--- title: Halperin Chats With Gibbs | TIME description: TIME's Mark Halperin talks about Obama's relationship with Ayers ahead of the second presidential debate canonical: https://time.com/video/4Sx7iTJr/ og:title: Halperin Chats With Gibbs og:description: TIME's Mark Halperin talks about Obama's relationship with Ayers ahead of the second presidential debate og:url: https://time.com/video/4Sx7iTJr/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4Sx7iTJr/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Halperin Chats With Gibbs twitter:description: TIME's Mark Halperin talks about Obama's relationship with Ayers ahead of the second presidential debate twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/4Sx7iTJr/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Halperin Chats With Gibbs > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Halperin Chats With Gibbs [Watch (HLS stream): Halperin Chats With Gibbs](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4Sx7iTJr.m3u8) (5:07)  _Published 2008-10-07. TIME's Mark Halperin talks about Obama's relationship with Ayers ahead of the second presidential debate_ --- Jul 27, 2023 1:01 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Halperin's Take: Obama Jobs Speech](/video/xusBMxzt/) ### Halperin's Take: Obama Jobs Speech [Halperin Chats With Balz](/video/rHNMGl7W/) ### Halperin Chats With Balz [Halperin Chats With Gibbs About TV Appearances](/video/mu3zt3uy/) ### Halperin Chats With Gibbs About TV Appearances --- ## Transcript >> Senior advisor, formerly Communications Director, but fully upgraded, Robert Gibbs here in Nashville. Robert, first your favorite country music song? >> I think it would have to-- any song by Johnny Cash. >> Johnny Cash. Ring of fire, whatever. >> You know, I like Ring of Fire. That is a good-- I know that. >> Alright, so Bill Ayers, you never met him right? >> Never. >> Alright. Have you ever been on a board with any terrorists, you yourself? >> Nobody is dumb enough to put me on a board. >> Not of any sort. All right. Yesterday, it seemed for the first time, your colleague David Axelrod and then you both said, when Barack Obama went to that of the Ayers household, he did not know about Ayer's past. Is that correct? When did he learn about Mr. Ayer's past? >> I honestly don't know the day in which he learned. >> But he continued to have associations with Ayers, which republicans are very keen to point in. So, you have not asked Senator Obama when he learned of his past. >> I have not, but I don't know that he could tell you the exact date. >> Well, but is it fair to say that he continued to associate with him professionally; and personally on a casual basis even after he learned? >> He continued to serve on a charitable board and an educational grant board, money supplied by Walter Annenberg, Republican, who was ambassador to Richard Nixon, yes. >> Right, but with the knowledge of Ayers' past. >> Yes. >> Yes, okay. So it seems like what people are saying is not that he was involved in terrorist activities, and not from the earliest days of his association with Ayers he knew, but that he continued to have associations with him. Senator Obama has deplored his activities. >> I think we should-- let's understand that at each and every turn, Barack Obama has condemned the deplorable actions that William Ayers did when Barack Obama was eight years old. >> Right. But again, we are just trying to settle this once and for all. It is the case of Barack Obama, at least implicitly seems to be saying, it is okay to just have professional associations with someone who was a terrorist, and by some measures, as an unrepentant terrorist. He is saying that he is not bothered by that. He didn't commit the acts. He didn't condone the acts. >> I think you are trying to put words in-- >> No, I'm trying to ask the questions. >> Trying to put words in people's mouths. >> What is the answer? Is he-- he seems to be saying-- >> He thinks these are deplorable acts. >> Right, but he doesn't-- but does he think Ayers has paid the price for his acts or he doesn't mind if he has. I think that is the knob of what some people are pissed on about. >> He's not a judge. He doesn't adjudicate guilt on this. He finds the acts to be deplorable. But he also thinks that this race is about bigger issues, like our economy, stock market that continues to go down even as we speak-- the big issues in this race. If we wanna have a debate about character, he will be glad to talk about Charles Keating and making sure-- turning and asking regulators to turn their eyes at banks. We think this issue is about-- this race is about big issues. >> Okay, I just want to try to finish here so you never have to talk about it again. He says, implicitly, to me, when he is continuing to associate with him after at some point having learned about his past, that it is okay to have those kind of professional relations. Doesn't mean he committed the acts, doesn't mean he condones them. But he does think it's okay to have professional association. Doesn't he? >> You know, I think you are trying to put words in my mouth. >> No, I'll ask you. I won't put words in your mouth. Does he think it's okay? Will he continue to associate with him now, having learned fully? >> He doesn't have, he is not in contact with him. He is not an advisor to his campaign. >> But would he continue to associate? >> I don't know how many times I can say the same thing in the little camera and see if it's the right answer. >> Do you not see my point? I think there is-- no one is accusing him of having committed the acts when he was eight years old, and no one is saying he is condoning the acts. He has repeated-- >> But that is not true. Because I mean if you watched, you posted on your blog appropriately, Rudy Giuliani, who took the facts as they were in the New York Times and stretched them to unbelievable proportions. I think Rudy Giuliani would have you think that somehow, he is Barack Obama's long lost white brother. So we are happy with where we are in this campaign. We are gonna talk about the big issues that we know people care about. >> But you won't answer this one question? That's the only question I really need you to answer, and you won't answer. >> Well, I appreciate that-- I think I have given yo-- >> You have given me a lot of answer. >> The best answer I can give you. >> Well, does he think it's appropriate to have professional ties to someone who has committed acts like that? Is that? >> Again, I don't know when Barack Obama had, I don't know at what point. It's something I will be more than happy to ask him. How about that? >> You'll get back to us? >> Maybe in the next debate. >> Maybe you will announce it on the debate stage. All right, let's see-- let's close with a warm country music question. Do you have a favorite country lyric line? >> I love the old song, it's a Travis Tritt, I will say it to you Mark, but not to your listeners. Here's a quarter, call somebody who cares. >> Thank you. 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