Senator Dick Durbin said it was “flat-out wrong” for Hillary Clinton to advise Democrat candidate Joe Biden not to concede on Election Day “under any circumstances.”
Durbin (D-IL), in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on ‘This Week,’ said he disagreed with the two-time presidential election loser.
Stephanopoulos noted that Republicans have compared Clinton’s remarks to President Trump’s wait-and-see attitude about how the election goes.
“I disagree with Hillary Clinton,” Durbin replied. “I respect her. I like her. But I think she’s just flat-out wrong.”
“I think she’s flat out wrong,” Sen. Durbin tells @GStephanopoulos on Hillary Clinton saying Biden “should not concede under any circumstances.”
“If we are going to maintain a democracy, peaceful transition through an election is the only way to do it.” https://t.co/zTNMzk2uyg pic.twitter.com/8oYO5oBzpv
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 27, 2020
RELATED: Hillary Clinton Advises Joe Biden To Not Concede on Election Night ‘Under Any Circumstances’
Dick Durbin Disagrees With Hillary Clinton
Clinton’s comments came over a month ago, during an interview on Showtime’s “The Circus.”
The former First Lady, who struggled herself to concede during the 2016 election, advised Biden to refuse to make a concession on the night of the election – no matter what.
“Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances,” she said.
“Because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually, I do believe he will win, if we don’t give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is.”
Hillary Clinton has some advice for Joe Biden: Don’t concede in a close race.
The 2016 nominee sits down with @jmpalmieri and @sho_thecircus to urge Dems to pay close attention to GOP strategy. pic.twitter.com/REwfLf1QjS
— The Recount (@therecount) August 24, 2020
Clinton’s comments didn’t receive nearly the level of panic that President Trump did when he refused to answer flat-out whether he’d commit to a transfer of power after the election.
Trump’s view is that we’d have to see what happens with mail-in ballots first.
He also suggested at the time that he would win if ballots were tallied fairly, and would therefore present no need to transfer power.
“There won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation [of power],” he said, confident of victory.
The Trump campaign later clarified that he was referring to the concern of voter fraud and that he would commit to a peaceful transition after a “free and fair election.”
Similarly, Durbin believes election results might take a while to sort out.
“But if we’re going to maintain a democracy, peaceful transition through an election is the only way to do it,” he said referencing Trump.
“Whoever the winner is, if it’s clear and legal, the other party should concede,” he concluded.
Democratic Sen. Dic Durbin:
“Hillary Clinton is flat out wrong… Whoever the winner is, if it’s clear and legal, the other party should concede.”https://t.co/pqOUiOdNy7
— Trish Regan (@trish_regan) September 28, 2020
RELATED: McMaster Dismisses Wolf Blitzer’s Claim That Military Would Remove Trump If He Doesn’t Concede
Joe Biden Suggested Military Action Might Be Necessary if Trump Does Not Concede
Democrats and the media have been fomenting the notion that President Trump may cling so strongly to his power that the military would need to physically remove him from power.
“I promise, I am absolutely convinced they [the military] will escort him from the White House with great dispatch,” Biden said in a Comedy Central interview in June.
Joe Biden says that his greatest concern that is that President Trump is going to try to “steal this election” and the military will have to escort him from the White House.
“I promise you I’m absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch.” pic.twitter.com/MLPhMy2EdW
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) June 11, 2020
CNN brought up that possibility in an interview with former National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.
McMaster quickly dismissed any such idea.
“Those who suggest that the military would have any role in transition, they are being equally irresponsible,” he responded.
CNN’s @wolfblitzer to HR McMaster: If Trump doesn’t concede, can we call in the military? pic.twitter.com/bS05XA5W8q
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 24, 2020
Despite Clinton and Trump essentially making the same exact remark about waiting for election results to be sorted out, the media only attacked one person.
Why do you think that is?