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Hillary Clinton on Jared Kushner: He ‘doesn’t get to decide when the election is’

by Marty Johnson - 05/13/20 12:02 PM ET

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) took aim at White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday after comments made by Kushner the previous night regarding the presidential election drew criticism online.

In an interview with Time Magazine on Tuesday, Kushner, who is President Trump’s son-in-law, responded to a reporter who asked if he would commit to the elections happening on Nov. 3.

“It’s not my decision to make, so I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other,” Kushner said. “Hopefully by the time we get to September, October, November, we’ve done enough work with testing and with all the different things we’re trying to do to prevent a future outbreak of the magnitude that would make us shut down again. I really believe that once America opens up, it’ll be very hard for America to ever lock down again.”

His remark drew backlash on social media and was widely covered in the press, though some outlets failed to include his full quote, in which he acknowledged that he didn’t have the power to delay an election.

Clinton, who lost to Trump in the general election in 2016, responded on Wednesday, sharing a link to a New York Times article reporting on Kushner’s remarks.

“I can’t believe I have to write this sentence, but the president’s son-in-law doesn’t get to decide when the election is,” she tweeted.

I can’t believe I have to write this sentence, but the president’s son-in-law doesn’t get to decide when the election is. https://t.co/7CrpHny6TF

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 13, 2020

Her tweet came after Kushner had sought to clarify his comments in a follow-up statement on Wednesday.

“I have not been involved in, nor am I aware of, any discussions about trying to change the date of the presidential election,” he said, according to multiple news outlets on Wednesday.

Clinton wasn’t the only person to criticize Kushner’s initial statements.

Conservative political commentator Bill Kristol tweeted: “Kushner’s statement reveals amazing ignorance of the Constitution and law. It reveals startling arrogance in taking for granted he gets to have some say about when the election is held.”

Kushner’s statement reveals amazing ignorance of the Constitution and law. It reveals startling arrogance in taking for granted he gets to have some say about when the election is held. It also reveals an utter lack of understanding of his very subordinate role in our democracy. https://t.co/3omqhZYNsM

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 13, 2020

Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, tweeted that asking Kushner such a question was “an insult to the rule of law.”

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has previously analyzed the power of the Executive Branch to postpone elections.

“The text of the Constitution does not appear to contain a constitutional role for the Executive Branch in such decisions,” the department said.

It added onto this analysis in a more recent review, citing a long-standing federal statute.

“Since 1845, Congress has required states to appoint presidential electors on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, which represents the date by which voters in every state must cast their ballot for President,” the CRS noted.

Tags 2020 general election Coronavirus Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton Jared Kushner Jared Kushner