MSNBC analyst and former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) on Wednesday asked Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) if he thinks Russia will prop up music artist Kanye West to help President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
McCaskill said in her opinion, the Trump campaign in 2016 wanted Russia to build up Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and wondered if they would do the same thing with West, who has floated the possibility of running.
“One of the things that [the Trump campaign was] sharing polling information with Russia, was to try to track Jill Stein’s numbers in Michigan and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” McCaskill said on “Morning Joe.” “So, they wanted Russia to help out building up Jill Stein’s numbers. In my opinion, that’s what happened. Do you fear they’re going to do the same thing with Kanye in those states where he might make the ballot, particularly someplace like Wisconsin?”
“Look, the insidiousness or dark forces that work in this election that are counter to the values, I think, this nation aspires to, this idea that we can only win this election if we somehow restrict access to the polls, tear down the post office, pull out polling places, or if we try to gin up someone like Kanye West, it’s really unfortunate,” Booker stated. “But I’m sorry, that is just not going to work in this election. I really think it’s insulting to the intelligence of African-Americans, for example, to think that we’re going to somehow be swayed away and vote for someone who is not a serious person in this election.”
Booker added that he is “aware of this’ and has had “conversations with a lot of folks who are working in grassroots turnout, especially in minority communities.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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