Kremlin's favorite candidate Jill Stein refuses to call Putin a war criminal during interview
Kremlin's favorite candidate Jill Stein refuses to call Putin a war criminal during interview
The exchange:
Mehdi Hasan: We looked at your social media, and you haven't done that many posts specifically calling out Russian attacks on civilian areas. You haven't called Vladimir Putin a war criminal, but you have called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal.
Jill Stein: No, actually, we did. Yeah. In my very first remarks about the Ukraine war, we condemned —
Mehdi Hasan: Vladimir Putin is a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Yes, we did condemn —
Mehdi Hasan: And Bashar al-Assad is a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Yes, in so many words, yes, we have said as much.
Mehdi Hasan: So you called Netanyahu one, which I think he is.
Jill Stein: Oh, absolutely.
Mehdi Hasan: Is Putin a war criminal?
Jill Stein: So what we said about Putin was that his invasion of Ukraine is a criminal and murderous war.
Mehdi Hasan: And he's a war criminal who should be on trial?
Jill Stein: Well, by implication.
Mehdi Hasan: You're struggling here to say something very simple. This is why people have their doubts about you with Russia. Why is Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal but not Vladimir Putin?
Jill Stein: Well, as John F. Kennedy said, "We must not negotiate out of fear and we must not fear to negotiate." So if you want to be an effective world leader, you don't start by name calling and hurling out that.
Mehdi Hasan: So how will President Stein negotiate with Israel then, if you've called Netanyahu a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Well, because he very clearly is a war criminal.
Mehdi Hasan: Oh, so Putin clearly isn't a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Well, we don't have a decision, put it this way, by the International Criminal Court.
Mehdi Hasan: Yes, we do. Yes, actually, actually, you're wrong. There's an arrest warrant for Putin and there isn't an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, so why is Putin not a war criminal, but Netanyahu is?
Jill Stein: Yeah. Well, let me say this. We are sponsoring that war. We are sponsoring Netanyahu. He is our dog in this fight. That is why we have a responsibility to pull him back.
Mehdi Hasan: No disagreement from me at all. It still doesn't answer my question. Whether we sponsor them or not is irrelevant.
Jill Stein: With Russia it's far more complicated.
Mehdi Hasan: Either you're a war criminal or you're not. Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?
Jill Stein: In so many words, yes he is.
Mehdi Hasan: I don't know "what so many words" — Butch [Ware, Stein's running mate], is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Let me say that whatever you think he is —
Mehdi Hasan: It's not about what I think. I'm asking you. You're running for President.
Jill Stein: If you want to pull him back, if you are a world leader, you don't begin your conversation by calling someone a war criminal unless you have a…
Mehdi Hasan: So why have you called Biden and Netanyahu war criminals?
Jill Stein: Because we have a clear strategy and we have very strong support across the world.
How is it more complicated, Jill? The lady doth protest too much
Would be nice if more politicians were subjected to dogged follow-up questions like this. Instead the press just lets them deflect and ramble and change the subject.
He did the same thing to an Israeli spokesperson, and then MSNBC fired him.
I wish every interviewer were even half as good at this as Mehdi Hassan is. He is a delight to watch or read when he’s talking to anyone who is dodging questions.
Even if you don't get an answer, it's good to keep at it long enough that it's obvious they're avoiding it.
i really need more people to be aware this is who jill stein has always been. she focuses on the liberatory language of green politics but in practice is a fascist. there are two ways to view this. either she's an idiot who thinks she can deal with putin, or she knows exactly what she's doing and is in favor giving a genocidal maniac more power because it benefits her personally
She's a grifter so it really would not surprise me to learn that she's taken daddy putin's propoganda dollars.
Remember how she raised a bunch of money in 2016 to do a recount and then never did? Yeah. That's what grifting looks like. She had no legal way to actually accomplish the task she was fundraising for which is every bit as bad a selling someone snake oil.
She and the green party exist solely to extract money out of credulous idiots who buy the lie that voting for her does anything.
This has strong "the front fell off" vibes.
another Green voter got very agitated when called out for pushing only Russia's talking points in this debate:
Why was the reporter asking her tough follow up questions? It doesn't match what I usually see. Is Jill Stein bad because she can't afford to pay for easier interviews? For real though, I wish every "big name" was treated this way.
I’m no fan of Stein. I was years ago, but not anymore. But she seems very clear in the beginning, then equivocates in the middle then clarifies (kinda) towards the end— but the way the interviewer goes after her seems like she’s being evasive in a way that doesn’t come across in the textual reading.
Is there an audio and/or video clip of this interview?
If you don't mind Twitter, yes.
Wow, Jill comes off like a jackass in that interview. Shouldn't be surprised I guess the Greens have become useful idiots for those trying to manipulate the election.
Fuck, that's horrible. And this woman consistently manages to drive hundreds of thousands of votes from the Democrat candidate.
Jill Stein: So what we said about Putin was that his invasion of Ukraine is a criminal and murderous war.
Mehdi Hasan: And he’s a war criminal who should be on trial?
Jill Stein: Well, by implication.
Mehdi Hasan: You’re struggling here to say something very simple. This is why people have their doubts about you with Russia. Why is Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal but not Vladimir Putin?
???
What does "by implication" mean to Hasan?
Jill Stein: Yeah. Well, let me say this. We are sponsoring that war. We are sponsoring Netanyahu. He is our dog in this fight. That is why we have a responsibility to pull him back.
Mehdi Hasan: No disagreement from me at all. It still doesn’t answer my question. Whether we sponsor them or not is irrelevant.
Jill Stein: With Russia it’s far more complicated.
Mehdi Hasan: Either you’re a war criminal or you’re not. Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?
Jill Stein: In so many words, yes he is.
So they're in agreement. Right?
Mehdi Hasan: I don’t know “what so many words” — Butch [Ware, Stein’s running mate], is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Let me say that whatever you think he is —
Mehdi Hasan: It’s not about what I think. I’m asking you. You’re running for President.
Jill Stein: If you want to pull him back, if you are a world leader, you don’t begin your conversation by calling someone a war criminal unless you have a…
Mehdi Hasan: So why have you called Biden and Netanyahu war criminals?
Jill Stein: Because we have a clear strategy and we have very strong support across the world.
Is Hasan trying to defend Biden and Netanyahu?
Because Jill Stein repeatedly agreed with Hasan on Putin being a war criminal. But Hasan keeps doubling back and trying to defend the American President and his Israeli ally from the accusation.
The problem is this: regarding Netanyahu she says "Well he is very clearly a war criminal." Regarding Putin she says "With Russia it's far more complicated" and "In so many words, yes." She's hedging out of calling Putin a war criminal directly so she can plausibly deny it. She will agree with general statements saying he could be a war criminal under those circumstances but she won't say it directly so she can go "Oh no, Hasan called him a war criminal, I didn't, I just agreed that if all of those things were true then he could be considered a war criminal!"
Is Hasan trying to defend Biden and Netanyahu?
Almost the very beginning of the interview:
Mehdi Hasan: So you called Netanyahu one, which I think he is.
Unlike Jill Stein, he has no problem calling a war criminal a war criminal. But I am sure that, unlike Putin, Jill Stein would have no problem calling Joe Biden a war criminal immediately.
The things you yourself quoted show he is not trying to defend biden and netanyahu.
Uh. Second. Putin LOVES his pet Trump.
Dont forget Tulsi
It’s not just Jill Stein, it’s a lot of people you see talking about Gaza as some blood curdling atrocity, but they don’t have the same level of empathy or consideration for Ukrainians. The anti-Israel propaganda is just being used to drive the Muslim and progressive vote away from Dems. I think it’s turning out to be successful.
It’s not just Jill Stein, it’s a lot of people you see talking about Gaza as some blood curdling atrocity, but they don’t have the same level of empathy or consideration for Ukrainians.
I don't want the US government selling weapons to Russia to use against Ukrainians. I'm glad we aren't.
And other lies you tell yourself.
I’ve never met a Palestinian supporter that isn’t also a Ukrainian supporter.
The entirety of lemmy.ml would like a word.
I haven't met any in real life as far as I'm aware, but I've seen plenty on here.
I think they're talking about the people on TV talking about it, not the protestors themselves.
I guess the team running Monks account hasn't woken up yet. A post about his heroine, and they haven't said anything lol
They're usually late to the party. They didn't post on another Stein thread until long after the discussion was over.
Just going to leave this here:
Jay Sekulow represented The Green Party in their bid to get on the Nevada ballot.
Anyone who knows that name knows why this is absurd.
And that somehow prevented her from simply calling Putin a war criminal like she did Biden and Netanyahu?
Oh, so she's just spineless, then?
That really clears it up, thanks.
Well "in so many words" she did call him a war criminal and described his war as criminal as well. And since that wasn't enough, she immediately followed up by releasing a statement specifically calling him a war criminal to clear up any confusion.
I think Stein is a spoiler candidate, very possibly in the pocket of Russia, and annoying af, but this is trying to make something out of nothing.
She could have explained what "in so many words" meant when she was asked. She also could have just said "yes, he's a war criminal" like Hassan did about both Putin and Netanyahu. He also agreed with her that the U.S. bears responsibility for Israeli genocide.
None of that was good enough for her.
And good for her for releasing a statement almost no one will see rather than just making it totally clear on national TV. Very brave of her.
If by very possibly you mean IS- then I wholeheartedly agree!
I wonder if Kamala would admit that Biden and Obama are war criminals (or even Netanyahu!).
I don't care for Jill Stein and Putin. But the hypocrisy is still astounding. Lets ask Harris to call Biden a war criminal. Because he is one too. This is all just performative politics.
Biden is Harris' boss.
Unless you think Jill Stein works for Putin, which would explain this, it's a different situation.
Mehdi Hasan: Vladimir Putin is a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Yes, we did condemn —
Yall are deranged
Give the full exchange. I watched the full interview. She said "we condemn his actions". She never could in a full sentence condemn him. It's gotta be loaded with qualifiers, and even THEN nothing of value comes out of her mouth. It shouldn't be like pulling teeth. It's a simple yes/no.
Mehdi Hasan: And he's a war criminal who should be on trial?
Jill Stein: Well, by implication.
Mehdi Hasan: You're struggling here to say something very simple. This is why people have their doubts about you with Russia. Why is Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal but not Vladimir Putin?
Jill Stein: Well, as John F. Kennedy said, "We must not negotiate out of fear and we must not fear to negotiate." So if you want to be an effective world leader, you don't start by name calling and hurling out that.
Mehdi Hasan: So how will President Stein negotiate with Israel then, if you've called Netanyahu a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Well, because he very clearly is a war criminal.
Mehdi Hasan: Oh, so Putin clearly isn't a war criminal?
Jill Stein: Well, we don't have a decision, put it this way, by the International Criminal Court.
Mehdi Hasan: Yes, we do. Yes, actually, actually, you're wrong. There's an arrest warrant for Putin and there isn't an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, so why is Putin not a war criminal, but Netanyahu is?
Anyone remotely supporting Stein is either as ignorant as she is (claimed there were 600 members of Congress LOL), or drinking Russian vodka.
This is also just the Chef's Kiss in terms of having of all people Mehdi Hasan take down Stein.
Im very familiar with her position on Russia and Putin. As she has immediately done in this interview, that you will absolutely never acknowledge, she has already condemned Putin and Russia's invasion many times. She is more critical of Israels genocide because of our involvement in supporting it. And she has criticisms for our role in aggressive military positioning around Russia before that invasion. She has a consistent platform of reducing military aggression.
No u
raccoon
lol right? when she finally gets to complete her sentence she fully says she condemns Putin. what do y'all want, a complete obliteration of nuance? get the fuck out of here with your purity tests.
We have truly all gone off the deep end. Truth isn't truth, facts don't matter, we're all arguing for what should be completely obvious and nobody is actually listening to the other person.
I would like to get off this ride.
Every president of USA is a war criminal. I don't see anybody pressing harris/trump on that issue. Probably because they're war criminals themselves... Life inside the imperial core...
Plenty of people call US presidents war criminals. That's not what this article is about though. It's about a different war criminal. What's the point of bringing up an entirely different topic?
On top of that, Hasan agreed with Stein when she said, "We are sponsoring that war. We are sponsoring Netanyahu. He is our dog in this fight. That is why we have a responsibility to pull him back."
Even Lincoln?
Especially Lincoln. You can argue the ends justified the means, of course, but the Union didn't win the war by keeping their hands clean.
If the propaganda is now directly targeting third parties it means that they are becoming popular enough to threat red and blue
Do explain how Medhi Hasan is "the propaganda." He doesn't even work for any major media company. He founded his own company.
Flying Squid you have been around here for enough time to know what propaganda is so don't play the fool. There's clearly a bias in which news get posted and reach the frontpage and that's a direct and indirect result of the propaganda. How many news about third parties did you post up to a month ago?
So then she indeed did call him a war criminal on the record? You can't pretend that doesn't matter and expect any respect