Former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, making her first visit to Washington since losing the presidential election to US president-elect Donald Trump, said “fake news” is putting people’s lives at risk and that Americans need to address the problem to protect the nation’s democracy.
“This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk,” Clinton said on Thursday at the portrait unveiling for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who is retiring after 30 years in Congress.
Clinton’s warning came days after an episode where a North Carolina man showed up with a rifle — and fired it — inside a neighborhood Washington pizzeria in an effort to “self-investigate” reports that Clinton and her inner circle ran a child-sex operation based there.
No one was injured and the man was arrested.
“It’s imperative” that government and private industry fight back against the fake-news trend, Clinton said. “We must stand up for our democracy just as Harry has done in his entire career.”
The farewell event for Reid was a homecoming of sorts for Clinton, who served as a US senator from New York from 2001 to 2009.
The event also drew US Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the incoming Senate Democratic leader.
As she took the podium, Clinton joked: “This is not exactly the speech at the Capitol that I hoped to be giving after the election, but after a few weeks of taking selfies in the woods, I thought it would be a good idea to come out.”
Two days after the election, a woman got a picture of herself with Clinton after encountering the first lady and former US president Bill Clinton walking their dogs in the woods near their home in Chappaqua, New York.
Clinton’s appearance came as Trump and his transition team are interviewing and naming officials to his Cabinet, and as Congress wraps up its final session under US President Barack Obama.
Clinton has made a few public appearances since the Nov. 8 election, including her concession speech the following day.
On Nov. 17, she told supporters to “never, ever give up” and “stay engaged on every level” at a gala for the Children’s Defense Fund, the advocacy group where she got her start as a lawyer.
She also made a surprise appearance on Nov. 30 to honor pop star Katy Perry with a humanitarian award at a UNICEF event.
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