Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Hillary Clinton continues to make news with her book tour promoting “What Happened.”
In a stunning reversal of the importance of the election process to the U.S. system of government, Clinton now says she is open to challenging the results of the 2016 presidential race.
Last year, Clinton was outraged when candidate Trump suggested he would challenge the results of the election if he felt it was “rigged.”
Clinton was outraged over Trump’s comments.
USA Today reports:
Hillary Clinton said Friday that Donald Trump is threatening America’s democracy by not promising to accept the results of the presidential election.
“We know, in our country, the difference between leadership and dictatorship. And the peaceful transition of power is something that sets us apart,” Clinton told a crowd of about 1,600 at the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.
After losing Clinton changed her mind about the appropriateness of challenging the election.
CNN reports on Clinton’s comments made during a recent NPR interview:
But in an interview Monday with NPR’s Terry Gross, Clinton raised that critique up a notch — not only questioning the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency but refusing to rule out the possibility of contesting the results if Russian collusion is proven by special counsel Bob Mueller.
Here’s the full text of the back-and-forth, courtesy of CNN’s Dan Merica:
Gross: I want to get back to the question, would you completely rule out questioning the legitimacy of this election if we learn that the Russian interference in the election is even deeper than we know now?
Clinton: No. I would not. I would say —
Gross: You’re not going to rule it out?
Clinton: No, I wouldn’t rule it out.!!!!
According to the CNN story, Clinton’s comments were thought out and not a spontaneous remark. She may leverage her winning the popular vote to drive a possible challenge to the election.
Consistent with challenging the election results, Clinton also urged federal government workers not to quit their jobs because of Trump.
Politico reports:
Hillary Clinton on Monday urged federal employees who disagree with the Trump administration to stay in their jobs if they can, condemning what she called the “disregard, even contempt, among many in this administration about what federal workers know and what they’ve done, and the advice they can give.”
The 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, speaking at Warner Theatre in Washington in the first speaking event of the national tour for her new book, urged government workers to “stick it out, stick it out, because the tide has to turn.”
The real goal of Clinton’s book tour is unclear but it’s more than driving book sales.
