RUSSERT: Were his comments out of bounds? CLINTON: Yes, they were. And he has said that. (not true) [View All]

[ProSense]

RUSSERT: Senator Clinton, in terms of accountability, you told me on Sunday morning, “Any time anyone has said anything that I thought was out of bounds, they’re gone. I’ve gotten rid of them.”

RUSSERT: Shortly thereafter, that same afternoon, Robert Johnson, at your event, said, quote, “When Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood, that I won’t say what he was doing, but he said it in his book,” widely viewed as a reference to Senator Obama’s book ,”Dreams From My Father” from 1995, where he talked about his drug use as a teenager.

Will you now not allow Robert Johnson to participate in any of your campaign events because of that conduct?

CLINTON: Well, Bob has put out a statement saying what he was trying to say and what he thought he had said. We accept him on his word on that.

But, clearly, we want to send a very clear message to everybody that this campaign is too important for us to either get diverted or, frankly, get the message of what we want to do for our country subverted by any kind of statements or claims that are just not part of who I am or who Barack or John are.

CLINTON: Because I think what’s critical here is that the American people understand clearly what is at stake in this election. The stakes are really high, and there’s an urgent need for leadership on a range of issues, you know, some of which are now becoming right here in front of us about whether or not people are going to be able to keep their homes in Nevada, whether they’re going to have jobs.

You know, I went door to door in Las Vegas last week and, you know, I’ve met construction workers who’ve been laid off. I met a casino employee who’s already been laid off.

So what people talk to me about is not what somebody they never heard of said, but what we say, what we’re for, what we’re standing for, and what we’re going to be pushing for.

So I accept what he said, but I think what’s important is what I say and what each of us says about the kind of president we intend to be and how we’re going to get there.

RUSSERT: Were his comments out of bounds?

CLINTON: Yes, they were.

CLINTON: And he has said that.

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