The Observer has obtained the contents of a 2006 audio tape that appears to reveal then-Sen. Hillary Clinton suggesting the U.S. should have rigged the Palestinian election. "I do not think we should have pushed for an election in the Palestinian territories. I think that was a big mistake," Clinton is heard telling the editorial board of The Jewish Press about the Jan. 25, 2006 election for the second Palestinian Legislative Council, in which Hamas won a victory over the U.S.-preferred Fatah. "And if we were going to push for an election," Clinton went on, "then we should have made sure that we did something to determine who was going to win."
The original tape belongs to Eli Chomsky, a former editor and staff writer for The Jewish Press, who claims to have the only copy in existence. Chomsky told The Observer, which is published by Donald Trump's son-in-law, that at the time he was surprised "anyone could support the idea — offered by a national political leader, no less — that the U.S. should be in the business of fixing foreign elections."
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