Hillary Clinton could still challenge the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, the former First Lady told NPR in an interview published Monday.
Discussing potential Russian interference as well as the “legitimacy of the election,” Clinton hinted that the outcome of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign could force her to question the legitimacy of the election.
“I don’t know if there’s any legal constitutional way to do that. I think you can raise questions,” Clinton stated, going on to say, “There’s no doubt they influenced the election.”
The two-timed failed Democrat presidential candidate said if roles were reversed and her presidency was in question, she would definitely back an investigation.
Let me just put it this way, if I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to me and said, “The Russians influenced the election,” I would’ve never stood for it. Even though it might’ve advantaged me, I would’ve said, “We’ve got to get to the bottom of this.” I would’ve set up an independent commission with subpoena power and everything else.
Pressed on whether she would rule out challenging the election results, Clinton stated, “No, I wouldn’t rule it out,” admitting there were no clear avenues by which to pursue such a challenge.
“I just don’t think we have a mechanism,” she stated, going on to highlight the recent overturned vote in Kenya and an investigation into Brexit as examples of other unprecedented election challenges.
“So what happened in Kenya, which I’m only beginning to delve into, is that the Supreme Court there said there are so many really unanswered and problematic questions, we’re going to throw the election out and re-do it. We have no such provision in our country. And usually we don’t need it,” Hillary stated.
Additionally, the former First Lady continued calling for an end to the Electoral College:
“Now, I do believe we should abolish the Electoral College, because I was sitting listening to a report on the French election and the French political analyst said, ‘You know in our country the person with the most votes wins, unlike in yours.’ And I think that’s an anachronism. I’ve said that since 2000.”
While the former secretary of state holds out a possibility of challenging President Trump’s legitimacy, she once claimed she would support a peaceful transfer of power.
At the third presidential debate in October 2016, Clinton attacked then-candidate Trump over his response to moderator Chris Wallace, who asked whether the businessman would “absolutely accept the result of this election.”
“I’ll keep you in suspense, okay?” Trump answered, a response which Clinton dubbed, “horrifying.”
“You know, every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is, is rigged against him,” Clinton told Wallace.
“We’ve been around for 240 years. We’ve had free and fair elections. We’ve accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them. And that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a debate stage during a general election.”
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