Pelosi: ‘I Think the Press Were Accomplices in the Undermining of Our Election’

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) passed blame on to the press for giving attention to revelations uncovered by WikiLeaks, which made public emails by top Clinton aide John Podesta and the Democratic National Committee.

When asked by host Jake Tapper if then-President Barack Obama could have done more to strike back against Russia, who is widely believed to be responsible for the WikiLeaks material, Pelosi called the press “accomplices.”

“Well, I think that President Obama handled it as he received information of that — of the highest confidence,” she said. “I do think, with all due respect in the world for the press, that the press could have done a better job, instead of printing every email that came out, and saying this comes to you from Vladimir Putin, they were, hah, hah, hah, John Podesta said this or that. I think the press were accomplices in the undermining of our election by the Russians by not pointing out this stuff is worthless because it comes from an undermining of our election, or at least reminding the public where this — these emails, the leaking of these emails came from. So, I can’t speak to the timing of what President Obama said. I wish he — it had all happened in a time where the public could know that this had an impact on the election. A lot of things have an impact on the election. This certainly was one of them.

“So, I can’t speak to the timing of what President Obama said. I wish he — it had all happened in a time where the public could know that this had an impact on the election,” Pelosi continued. “A lot of things have an impact on the election. This certainly was one of them. But what’s important to note is that it doesn’t happen again and that people in other countries are — realize what they are going to be susceptible to when the Russians come in to undermine their elections.”

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