Libertarian Gary Johnson said in an interview Wednesday that a vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for immediate impeachment hearings, while a Donald Trump election means a president who will "be in court over child rape."
“From the day that she takes office, it will be impeachment proceedings. There will be the drumbeat of impeachment from the first day,” Johnson said. “And if Trump is inaugurated, he’ll be in court over child rape.”
Johnson, in his first campaign stop in Georgia, was referring to the FBI's ongoing probe of emails that could be linked to Clinton's private server and the federal lawsuits filed by a woman who claimed the GOP nominee raped her two decades ago when she was 13. Trump has flatly denied the allegations, and his attorney has called them "completely frivolous."
The former New Mexico governor cast himself as the “principled” alternative to Trump and Clinton, who he said have both tarnished the presidential election.
“As this all transpires, you can say you voted for someone who is principled,” he said. “You can say I’m not responsible – don’t blame me, I voted for Gary.”
Of Evan McMullin, the independent who is threatening to win Utah, Johnson had a curt take: “I don’t know anything about him. He’s running for president of Utah.” And he predicted a range of disenchanted Democrats and Republicans joining the Libertarian party in future elections.
“I think everybody is going to be surprised by a whole bunch of Democrats who are fiscally conservative who are going to run,” he said. “And a whole lot of former Republican officials who are really inclusive in their social agenda.”
Here’s what he said on his prospects in Georgia and other traditionally conservative states:
"It starts with just how polarizing Clinton and Trump are. But with a little bit of research, look at us – we're two former Republican governors. We weren't wallflowers. We really did push the envelope from a small government standpoint."
On ongoing concerns about his “Aleppo moment,” when he failed to identify the war-torn Syrian city:
"Gaffes are going to happen. But I've got integrity, honesty and all that in spades. I understand what is going on. I'm skeptical regarding it all. I would be the skeptic at the table …"
On his message to disenchanted voters:
"We have a lot to be proud of. We have the opportunity to change America. We have the opportunity to change the landscape going forward. Let's not discount an outright win. We worked hard to get to this point. And the bottom line is you're going to look back at 2016, if you voted for Gary, at least you will be able to say you voted for Gary."
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