Most Democrats vying to take on President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election blasted him after he said he’d “listen” if offered information from a foreign country about his political opponents.
The president made the remarks while speaking with George Stephanopoulos in an interview.
“Your campaign this time around, if foreigners, if Russia, if China, if someone else, offers you information on opponents, should they accept it or should they call the FBI?” Stephanopoulos asked.
Trump responded:
“I think maybe you do both. I think you might want to listen. There’s nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, we have information on your opponent. Oh, I think I’d want to hear it,” Trump said.
Stephanopoulos shot back, asking Trump if he wanted that kind of “interference” in the 2020 election.
“It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI, if I thought there was something wrong,” Trump said. “But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right. They come up with opp research. ‘Oh let’s call the FBI.’ The FBI doesn’t have enough agents to take care of it. But you go and talk honestly to congressmen, they all do it—they always have. And that’s the way it is. It’s called oppo research.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he wouldn’t necessarily alert the FBI if approached by foreign figures with information on his 2020 opponent: “It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it.” https://t.co/yWRxMOaFqW pic.twitter.com/qwLw53s5yc
— ABC News (@ABC) June 12, 2019
The remarks from Trump sparked a flurry of responses from the wide field of Democrats running for the party’s 2020 nomination.
Here were their reactions:
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
“The #MuellerReport made it clear: A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now, he said he’d do it all over again. It’s time to impeach Donald Trump,” she wrote.
The #MuellerReport made it clear: A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now, he said he’d do it all over again. It’s time to impeach Donald Trump. https://t.co/yk25iGYpmC
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) June 12, 2019
Sen. Kamala Harris
“China is listening. Russia is listening. North Korea is listening. Let’s speak the truth: this president is a national security threat,” she wrote on Twitter.
China is listening.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 13, 2019
Russia is listening.
North Korea is listening.
Let’s speak the truth: this president is a national security threat. https://t.co/wsPYTzq0u0
Sen. Bernie Sanders
“We have a president who thinks he is above the law. The House should immediately begin impeachment inquiries,” he tweeted.
We have a president who thinks he is above the law. The House should immediately begin impeachment inquiries. https://t.co/1jetFwFRwd
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 13, 2019
Beto O’Rourke
“When the President of the United States openly welcomes foreign help to win an election, he threatens the very core of our democracy. If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him,” he wrote on Twitter.
When the President of the United States openly welcomes foreign help to win an election, he threatens the very core of our democracy. If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him.
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) June 13, 2019
Joe Biden
“President Trump is once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. This isn’t about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy,” the former vice president wrote.
President Trump is once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. This isn’t about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 13, 2019
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
“It’s time for Congress to begin impeachment hearings,” the New York senator tweeted.
It’s time for Congress to begin impeachment hearings. https://t.co/yYG6oqHfCm
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) June 12, 2019
Sen. Cory Booker
“It’s not ‘oppo research’ — it’s foreign interference in US elections. That you would say this is disgraceful. That you would do it from the Oval Office (yet again) proves you’re unfit for the office you hold,” Booker wrote.
It’s not “oppo research” — it’s foreign interference in US elections.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 13, 2019
That you would say this is disgraceful. That you would do it from the Oval Office (yet again) proves you’re unfit for the office you hold. https://t.co/7YQn07yRbm
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
“This is inexcusable. The President of the United States just effectively gave permission to foreign agents to interfere in our elections. We need my Secure Elections Act and Honest Ads Act passed immediately. The 2020 elections are not secure. Disgraceful,” the Minnesota senator wrote.
This is inexcusable. The President of the United States just effectively gave permission to foreign agents to interfere in our elections. We need my Secure Elections Act and Honest Ads Act passed immediately. The 2020 elections are not secure. Disgraceful. https://t.co/Ht8GwBA0Aj
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) June 13, 2019
Other 2020 contenders including Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) also criticized the president’s remarks.
READ MORE:
- Ted Cruz offers to work with AOC on birth control bill—leaves out key detail
- Donald Trump stans Rihanna’s ‘work/life’ balance
- Where do 2020 Democratic candidates stand on healthcare?
Got five minutes? We’d love to hear from you. Help shape our journalism and be entered to win an Amazon gift card by filling out our 2019 reader survey.
