Hillary Clinton Walks Back Support for Rahm Emanuel, Repeats Call for Reform

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, talking at length with Chuck Todd about topics spanning from the Iran deal to the film "13 Hours" about the attack on Benghazi. 

One topic was Mayor Rahm Emanuel's leadership, with Todd asking if Emanuel has the "credibility to heal the wounds in Chicago between the African-American community and law enforcement."

Clinton responded by reiterating her "outrage" at the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, and repeating her support for the Department of Justice investigation into the Chicago Police Department. 

"This is not a problem that is unique to Chicago unfortunately," she continued, "and we’ve got to do a lot more to deal with the systemic racism and the problems that policing have demonstrated."

When pressed specifically on Emanuel, she said, "Mayor Emanuel has said that he is committed to complete and total reform and I think he should be held to that standard," adding that it's "going to be up to him and up to the people of Chicago" to prove his credibility.

This statement comes as a far less enthusiastic version of the support she voiced for Emanuel last month.

Just two days after calling for an independent DOJ inquiry into the CPD after being "deeply troubled" by the shooting of Laquan McDonald, Clinton told voters in Iowa on Dec. 4 that she was supportive of Emanuel.

"He loves Chicago, and I'm confident that he's going to do everything he can to get to the bottom of these issues and take whatever measures are necessary to remedy them," she said. 

Watch the entire interview below. Discussion of Emanuel begins at 6:00: 

Contact Us