Trump repeatedly demanded that Clinton be put behind bars during the 2016 election battle.
Washington:
Donald Trump falsely claimed on Sunday that he did not call for the arrest of former electoral rival Hillary Clinton, telling Fox News: “I didn’t say ‘lock her up.’
Trump, who faces sentencing – and possible prison time – after becoming the first US president to be convicted of a crime, repeatedly demanded that Clinton be put behind bars during the 2016 election battle.
The “lock her up” chant was notorious at his rallies during the campaign and in subsequent years, and he stated that he agreed with it or called for her arrest on several occasions.
During the interview broadcast Sunday, Fox host Will Cain asked the 77-year-old about the call, which concerns Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
“You famously said, regarding Hillary Clinton, ‘Lock her up.’ You refused to do that as president,” Cain said.
“I hit her,” Trump responded. “It’s easier when you win. And they always said ‘lock her up,’ and I felt – and I could have done that, but I felt like it would have been a terrible thing. And then this happened to me. And then I can feel different about it.”
He went on to deny having participated in the singing.
“I didn’t say ‘lock her up,’ but people said lock her up, lock her up,” Trump said.
“So, we won. And I say – and I said it quite openly, I said, okay, come on, just relax, come on, we’ve got to make our country great.”
US media quickly verified the claim, and some social media users posted supercuts of the Republican agreeing with the chant or explicitly calling for Clinton’s arrest.
Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, was investigated for her use of a private email server, but no charges were filed.
Trump was convicted last week of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up secret payments to an adult film star before the 2016 election.
His sentencing date is July 11. In the Fox News interview on Sunday, he also acknowledged the possibility of being sentenced to jail or prison, warning that while he was “ok with that,” such a move could be “break-breaking.” point” to his supporters.
The warning resonated in a country already worried about the prospect of political violence in the increasingly heated period leading up to the presidential elections on November 5th.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
