After even his favored instant reaction online polls showed Donald Trump the loser of Wednesday night’s presidential debate, he suggested that Clinton “was inappropriately given the debate questions” ahead of time.
“Why didn’t Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions – she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning:
Why didn’t Hillary Clinton announce that she was inappropriately given the debate questions – she secretly used them! Crooked Hillary.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
Though there is no evidence that either candidate received questions for last night’s debate ahead of time, last week, moderator Chris Wallace announced, with some specificity, the topics that he would address during the debate. He didn’t stray from the announced topics Wednesday night.
Before Wednesday’s debate, on the campaign trail and on Twitter, Trump has needled the Clinton campaign for allegedly being the beneficiary of a leaked debate question during the Democratic primary. He based that charge off a hacked email published by WikiLeaks between now-interim Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile and members of Hillary Clinton’s staff.
Totally dishonest Donna Brazile chokes on the truth. Highly illegal!
Watch: https://t.co/Rs5brj31bA pic.twitter.com/FYoRo6MUjX— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
Voter fraud! Crooked Hillary Clinton even got the questions to a debate, and nobody says a word. Can you imagine if I got the questions?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2016
“From time to time I get the questions in advance,” read one subject line Brazile emailed Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri, before she took over as DNC chair this summer. The email body contained a question on the death penalty, which the next day came up in a Democratic presidential town hall.
After the debate Wednesday night, Fox News anchor Megan Kelly confronted Brazile about that email. In response, Brazile insisted that some WikiLeaks emails have been shown to be doctored. It’s unclear what, if any, evidence she had to back up that assertion.
