Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers needed to “stop” Putin for the good of Russia.
When asked about reports Putin’s behavior is erratic, Clinton said, “It’s a difficult question to answer from afar, obviously. I think the reports coming out suggest both his temperament, his paranoia seems to have increased dramatically. His vindictiveness, his dictatorial approach to people around him, including his own military leadership, seems to have gone further and deeper than anybody has ever seen before. People have also suggested they might he might have physically faced health challenges. I think it’s important for leaders, intelligence agencies, to get the best information they can.”
She added, “Ultimately, the people closest to Putin, those who have to deal with him, those who he is keeping at the end of 40-foot tables while he issues bizarre orders, they are the ones who need to act. They need to act for the good of Russia. They need to stop him. Whether or not this has turned into some kind of physical or mental problems that he either had or has in some way come down with, we don’t know. But his behavior is dangerous, and it’s dangerous for the future of Russia. So, my hope is that for the people who are watching him, those to get close enough to see in person his behavior, which is so erratic, that they can try to prevent him from doing things that will not only be tragic for Ukraine but tragic for Russia, too. This should be stopped for Russia’s sake.”
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