Hillary Clinton suggests arrest of Americans who share disinformation: Chilling
Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley joined Americas Newsroom to discuss Hillary Clintons chilling remarks on censorship and the broader effort to stifle free speech across the globe.
Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Hillary Clinton now believes “deplorables” is “too kind” a word to use for a section of people who support former President Trump.
The former Democratic presidential candidate wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post Wednesday titled, “To err is human, to empathize is superhuman.” In the piece, she describes her struggle to empathize with “radicalized individuals,” hearkening back to her infamous “basket of deplorables” line from 2016.
Though Clinton initially apologized for her comment, now she believes it offered “an important truth” about Trump supporters.
“In 2016, I famously described half of Trump’s supporters as ‘the basket of deplorables.’ I was talking about the people who are drawn to his racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia — you name it. The people for whom his bigotry is a feature, not a bug. It was an unfortunate choice of words and bad politics, but it also got at an important truth. Just look at everything that has happened in the years since, from Charlottesville to Jan. 6,” Clinton wrote.
REPUBLICANS BASH HILLARY CLINTON FOR FLOATING ‘FORMAL DEPROGRAMMING’ OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS
She added, “The masks have come off, and if anything, ‘deplorable’ is too kind a word for the hate and violent extremism we’ve seen from some Trump supporters.”
In comparison, Clinton recalled spending time with Shannon Foley, a former White supremacist who now “works to deprogram and rehabilitate people leaving hate groups.” Clinton commented how she “marveled at the empathy Shannon managed to summon for even the most (yes, let’s say it) deplorable bigots.”
“I wondered whether Shannon’s thoughtful, empathetic approach could offer lessons not just for rescuing radicalized individuals but also for healing our wounded country. What will it take to pull us out of the madness? Is there any way to drain the fever swamps so we can stand together on firmer, higher ground?” Clinton wrote.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Despite still believing parts of her “deplorable” comment were “objectively true,” Clinton wrote how she hopes to have a more empathetic view.
“Talking about the ‘deplorables’ in 2016, I said, ‘Some of those folks, they are irredeemable.’ Part of me would still say this is objectively true. Just look at the lack of remorse from many of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists who’ve been convicted of sedition and other crimes. But another part of me wants to believe something else. I’d like to believe there’s goodness in everyone and a chance at redemption, no matter how remote,” she concluded.
In her original comments, Clinton said, “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.”
The next day, she repeated how her comment was “grossly generalistic,” though continued to attack then-candidate Donald Trump over alleged bigotry.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I regret saying ‘half’ – that was wrong. But let’s be clear, what’s really ‘deplorable’ is that Donald Trump hired a major advocate for the so-called ‘alt-right’ movement to run his campaign and that David Duke and other White supremacists see him as a champion of their values,” Clinton said.
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @lmkornick.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
Arrives
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.