Sen. Bernie Sanders Thursday rejected suggestions that a Donald Trump administration may appoint a special prosecutor to press charges against Hillary Clinton, insisting it would be an “outrage” reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.
Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if he thought President Barack Obama should pardon Clinton, the Vermont senator replied in shock. “To pardon Hillary Clinton?” he asked. “Hillary Clinton is not indicted.”
Blitzer pressed Sanders on the issue, asking if President Obama should “not allow her to be charged with any potential crimes.”
“You know, there are those in the incoming Trump administration who want a special prosecutor to go ahead and file charges against her,” Blitzer continued, asking if it would be a “good idea” for President Obama to pardon Clinton.
“Look, President Obama will do what he feels is best,” Sanders said, shaking his head. “But the idea in a democracy in the United States of America, that a winning candidate would try to imprison the losing candidate, that's what dictatorships are about. That's what authoritarian countries are about.”
“You do not imprison somebody you ran against because you have differences of opinion,” he continued. “That would be an outrage beyond belief. And i think the vast majority of the American people would find that totally, totally unacceptable to even think about those things.”
Earlier in the segment, Sanders scoffed at Blitzer’s question over whether he was planning a run for president in 2020. “The last thing in the world, after this never-ending campaign—when we had not yet sworn in the new president—is to talk about 2020,” Sanders said.
“There will be a whole lot of disappointment in this country if the media starts talking about 2020,” he added.
Watch the segment below, via CNN.
