COLUMBUS, Ga. — Former President Invoice Clinton mentioned as he campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday that the election will come down as to if there’s a truthful and clear vote tally.
Requested by NBC Information what’s going to determine the result, Clinton responded, “Who desires it dangerous sufficient and whether or not we will get an trustworthy, open depend.”
A Clinton aide later mentioned he was referring to varied experiences of threats and intimidation in opposition to election officers.
Clinton has been stumping for Harris in Georgia, the place his remarks to voters Sunday raised eyebrows when he mentioned immigration.
Making an attempt to argue that Harris is extra severe than former President Donald Trump about discovering options to frame points and immigration, Clinton referred to the killing in February of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing scholar, Laken Riley, and the person charged in her dying, a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.
Clinton mentioned that it “in all probability would not have occurred” if migrants “had all been correctly vetted.”
Trump, who has made immigration the muse of his re-election bid whereas casting doubt on election safety after his 2020 loss, used Clinton’s remarks in opposition to the Harris marketing campaign, saying the person accused of killing Riley entered the U.S. days earlier than Harris referred to as the border “safe.”
The Harris marketing campaign mentioned Clinton’s phrases have been taken out of context. In his full remarks, Clinton mentioned the U.S. wants “vetted” immigrants to do work. He additionally touched on Trump’s profitable efforts to sink a bipartisan invoice this 12 months that will have beefed up border safety.
Clinton is likely one of the high-profile surrogates, together with former President Barack Obama, campaigning for Harris because the race enters its ultimate stretch. A brand new NBC Information ballot signifies the competition is a useless warmth.
Bianca Seward contributed.