The director of North Carolina’s Republican Party suggested during a national TV interview on Thursday that Hillary Clinton could wear handcuffs as “inauguration jewelry,” if she’s elected.
The comment came from N.C. GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse during an appearance on MSNBC with news correspondent Hallie Jackson. Woodhouse was a guest on the show and was asked to talk about federal Justice Department officials heading to his state.
MSNBC reported federal monitors will be in four North Carolina counties on Election Day: Cumberland, Forsyth, Robeson and Wake counties. Woodhouse pushed back on suggestions the Justice Department is taking the step in relation to a recent lawsuit filed by the state’s NAACP.
“We don’t know exactly why those election monitors are coming, but we welcome them,” Woodhouse said.
Later, Woodhouse insisted Republicans aren’t suppressing voters but that Democrats have a “depression problem”
“And you know why? It’s very simple. Their candidate, if elected, could have these on inauguration day,” he said, holding up a set of handcuffs and referring to presidential nominee Clinton. “People in America don’t trust her.”
Woodhouse named the FBI’s ongoing review of Clinton’s private email server and ethical questions surrounding the Clinton Foundation as reasons she’s not trustworthy and possibly legally implicated.
North Carolina’s elections and voting laws have repeatedly made national headlines this year.
This week, the Justice Department got involved with a NAACP suit alleging local county election boards have violated federal law by inaccurately purging some people from voter registration rolls.
State elections officials confirmed federal monitors will be allowed in North Carolina voting places, the Associate Press reported Thursday. Justice officials have done similar monitoring in North Carolina at least four other times, including in the past two presidential election cycles and during the 2014 mid-term election.
Anna Douglas: 202-383-6012, @ADouglasNews