Gary Johnson says he will focus on attacking Hillary Clinton, concedes he won't win election

Gary Johnson is going after Hillary Clinton
(Image credit: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Libertarian vice presidential nominee William Weld dropped something of a bombshell, telling The Boston Globe that he will focus his energies on defeating Donald Trump — in effect, helping Hillary Clinton. His running mate, Gary Johnson, told The New York Times on Tuesday that since he won't be in the debates, he won't win — but he's going to keep on fighting until Nov. 8. Defeating Trump "may be his primary mission," Johnson said of Weld. "We're not scripted at all. And so I guess my role will be Hillary and his role will be Donald Trump."

Johnson made good on that plan immediately, blaming Clinton for the mess in Syria. "Because Hillary Clinton can dot the i's and cross the t's on geographic leaders, of the names of foreign leaders," he told the Times, "the underlying fact that hundreds of thousands of people have died in Syria goes by the wayside." Clinton, he added, "bears responsibility for what's happened, shared responsibility for what's happened in Syria. I would not have put us in that situation from the get-go."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.