Hillary Clinton's "basket of deplorables" comment about Donald Trump's supporters is comparable to President Barack Obama's statement in 2008 about small-town people who "cling to guns and religion," as she was also attacking an "entire group of people," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday.
"It flies in the face of Hillary Clinton's phony message of unifying the country," Priebus told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program.
"One of the comments she made that people aren't talking as much about is she said some of these folks are irredeemable. Someone running for president thinks that people are not redeemable. The thief on the the cross was redeemable."
Meanwhile, on Monday, Politico reported that former Democratic National Committee Chairman Don Fowler had called for a contingency plan in the event Clinton have to drop out of the race because of her health, but Priebus said it's too soon for that kind of action.
"None of us know the extent of what's happening with Hillary Clinton," said Priebus on Tuesday. "We don't want her to be ill. We want her to be better. That's crossing a different line that we are not crossing."
There are some contingencies, though, that some parties can go through, but he doesn't know what the DNC's rules are.
"I think her coming clean and telling the American people what's going on is important," he said. "I think they are doing that. I think Donald Trump is going to release medical records, as well. But Donald Trump hasn't had the episodes that is causing everyone."
Clinton has said that the public has a medical record that meets the same standards as those shared by President Barack Obama and 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, but Priebus said she is "upset" because they released less than she plans to make public, and because GOP nominee Donald Trump has not released his income tax returns.
"He isn't having episodes that have caused national conversations," said Priebus. "I'm not suggesting he shouldn't or isn't. I'm just saying she is upset that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney didn't release as much as she is going to release or wants to release.
"But they weren't falling down in New York, either. I get it and it's unfortunate that we have to talk about these things because we don't want folks to be sick. But the fact is she has had these episodes for months. And people are asking questions."
He also believes Trump will release his tax returns once his audits are completed, but meanwhile, people interested can visit the Federal Elections Commission to learn more about his filings.
"What you will see is not just hundreds of businesses under his name but thousands of businesses under his name," said Priebus. "We are talking about a garage full of documents that is not the easiest thing to produce. Right now, people aren't really asking for it."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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