On Friday, Wikileaks released over 2,000 emails they claim were hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta’s gmail account. Within the slew of emails exposed were snippets of Clinton’s controversial Wall Street speeches that she was hired by various big money groups to deliver for hundreds of thousands of dollars. One specific email shares quotes from the transcripts of the speeches that Clinton’s team specifically picked out because they believed the statements could be controversial if they were ever made public. During Sunday’s Presidential debate, Clinton was asked about one quote pulled from the transcripts where she seemingly confessed that she alters her opinion based on who she is speaking to.
According to the leaked emails, Clinton told a housing trade group in 2013 that “If everybody’s watching, you know, all of the back room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least,” and because of that “you need both a public and a private position.”
Though on Sunday John Podesta claimed the emails could be falsified, Clinton admitted to saying the remark on Sunday and delivered a defense. Her response wasn’t well received from her Republican opponent, Donald Trump.
“This question involves WikiLeaks release of purported excerpts of Secretary Clinton’s paid speeches, which she has refused to release, and one line in particular, in which you, Secretary Clinton, purportedly say you need both a public and private position on certain issues,” the moderator, Martha Raddatz from ABC News, directed at Clinton, “is it OK for politicians to be two-faced? Is it acceptable for a politician to have a private stance on issues?”
“Well, right,” Clinton said. “As I recall, that was something I said about Abraham Lincoln after having seen the wonderful Steven Spielberg movie called ‘Lincoln.’ It was a master class watching President Lincoln get the Congress to approve the 13th Amendment. It was principled, and it was strategic.”
Clinton continued, “And I was making the point that it is hard sometimes to get the Congress to do what you want to do and you have to keep working at it. And, yes, President Lincoln was trying to convince some people, he used some arguments, convincing other people, he used other arguments. That was a great — I thought a great display of presidential leadership.”
The democratic nominee then pivoted in her answer and said that the real problem is that Russia, who Clinton and her team consistently blame for the hacks, is working hard to rig the election in favor of Trump because Trump “has praised Putin” and “agrees with a lot of what Putin wants to do.”
“Well, I think I should respond, because — so ridiculous,” Trump responded. “Look, now she’s blaming — she got caught in a total lie. Her papers went out to all her friends at the banks, Goldman Sachs and everybody else, and she said things — WikiLeaks that just came out. And she lied.”
“Now she’s blaming the lie on the late, great Abraham Lincoln. That’s one that I haven’t…” Trump said, which gained laughter from the audience.
“OK, Honest Abe, Honest Abe never lied. That’s the good thing,” Trump continued. “That’s the big difference between Abraham Lincoln and you. That’s a big, big difference. We’re talking about some difference.”
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