Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appearing with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC Tuesday Night, stated the Russian interference in the 2016 election was all about “getting me out of the way,” adding, “I don’t know if Trump is a witting or unwitting tool of Putin.”
While discussing Russia’s hostile actions in the 2016 election Clinton said, “I think I was an obstacle to their plans to undermine and disrupt our democracy. I think I was an obstacle to their efforts to try to impose greater authoritarian control in Russia, go after people who were opponents of Putin’s, whether they were in the LGBTQ community or in the press, and I think that they wanted to get me out of the way. And the question I think is worth asking: why did they want to get me out of the way? What is it they are trying to accomplish now?”
Clinton wasn’t the only one to share these views. Maddow, who has said in the past “it feel very palpable that Donald Trump is a special agent,” and has praised Chris Hayes for a segment debating if Donald Trump has been a Russian Intelligence agent since 1987, appeared to agree with Clinton.
Maddow told the former secretary of state, “In early 2015 we’ve got [Maria Butina] as an alleged agent of the Russian government casting around for what Republican might have the best shot at beating you.”
Maddow added, “Allegedly to try to get Russian government help to whoever it was going to be, whether it was going to be Scott Walker, or Trump, or anybody else, somebody who could beat you.”
Clinton responded, “I knew that Putin was very unhappy with me for again, behaving like an actual secretary of state and raising concerns about the unfairness of the elections that were held foe their parliament in the fall of 2011. He made that very clear. I know he is paranoid about any kind of mass movement in any country on his border that might result in more democracy, a closer relationship with the European Union, and potential membership in NATO.”
Clinton was promoting the release of her extended version of her book “What Happened.”
