2020 Democrats react to Trump's foreign interference comments: He's 'disgraceful' and a 'national security threat'
President Trump's confession that he would accept political dirt on his opponents from foreign powers set off a firestorm of tweets from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said Trump is "once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. ... It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy." Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted that Trump thinks "he is above the law," while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called Trump's remarks "disgraceful," and the fact that he made them from the Oval Office "proves you're unfit for the office you hold."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has already called for Trump's impeachment, rang that bell again, saying Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report made it clear "a foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now, he said he'd do it all over again. It's time to impeach Donald Trump." Beto O'Rourke agreed, and said by openly welcoming "foreign help to win an election," Trump "threatens the very core of our democracy. If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him."
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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) warned that China, Russia, and North Korea are all listening to Trump, and it's time to "speak the truth: this president is a national security threat." Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) chimed in, calling Trump's words "inexcusable" and "disgraceful," while Julian Castro shared his concern that Trump is "now essentially calling for an open season on our 2020 elections. Once again, he's putting his interests above our nation's, and risking the integrity of our elections."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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