A BuzzFeed News report revealed that 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has not been entirely cooperative with a Senate request for documents as part of an investigation into Russian election interference. Stein appeared on CNN’s New Day on Tuesday to defend the decision, but when pressed on the matter, she changed the subject to discuss problems with the United States.
Cuomo opened the conversation by noting that by not turning over everything, Stein has made it look like she’s hiding something. Stein claimed that this was not the case, and that she was compliant with the Senate’s request.
“We complied with everything actually relevant to the question of Russian interference,” Stein claimed, adding, “We actually fulfilled all the requests.”
Of course, despite saying that she fulfilled all of the Senate’s requests, Stein readily admitted that she did not turn over all documents. She defended this position as a defense of civil liberties.
“What we didn’t turn over was material that basically protects the civil liberties of all Americans,” she said. “At a time when our civil liberties are seriously being eroded, for example the use of our private data, you know we have a privacy protection … that’s been horribly violated.”
Stein continued on this subject until Cuomo tried to get things back on track so they could discuss her and her campaign, and not what’s wrong with America.
“Back to you,” he said, “what did you not turn over in the name of civil liberty?”
“What we did not turn over … was our internal discussions about policy,” stating that this refusal was in the name of standing up for freedom of association.
When asked if she had concerns about Russian election interference, Stein gave a half-answer, and then turned the discussion around to talk about American behavior instead.
“I think it would be naive to think that Russia did not try to interfere,” Stein said, continuing, “certainly, that’s what the United States does.” Stein went on about how the U.S. is guilty of interference, which she believes is wrong.
Cuomo argued that this is an argument that Russia could make, but that someone in Stein’s position as a presidential candidate should be against Russia, saying, “This is bad what they did, they’re trying to do it right now, and we have to stop it.”
Stein disagreed with this position, saying Americans should put themselves in a different category from other countries. She then veered off into a discussion of American domination, where U.S. tax dollars go, and diplomatic successes on the Korean peninsula.
[Image via CNN screengrab]
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