Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is calling on former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton to apologize to the state of Kentucky for her anti-coal positions as she opens her first campaign office in the state ahead of the May 17 primary.
Late Monday, Clinton will open her first campaign office in Kentucky in Louisville.
“Congressman John Yarmuth, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, State Sen. Morgan McGarvey and State Reps. Joni Jenkins, Darryl Owens, Jeff Donohue, and Larry Clark will join community leaders and local supporters and volunteers to open the office,” the local ABC News TV station wrote on Monday. “Even though this will be the state headquarters it will also serve as a way to organize efforts across Jefferson County. Phone banks, neighborhood canvasses will be launched from the headquarters, located in the Highlands, ahead of the Kentucky Democratic presidential primary on May 17.”
In response, Sen. Rand Paul, the former GOP presidential candidate and junior U.S. Senator from Kentucky, is calling on Clinton to apologize to coal miners—and to the state of Kentucky as a whole—for her comments last month when she said: “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” Sen. Paul told Breitbart News:
Before Hillary Clinton opens her office in Louisville, she ought to apologize to Kentuckians for saying that ‘we’re gonna put a lot of coal miners out of business.’ Ten thousand Kentuckians have lost jobs because of the Obama-Clinton War on Coal. I doubt they’re excited about Clinton coming to Kentucky to rub our faces in her climate extremism. President Obama promised to “bankrupt coal” and now Hillary promises to drive a stake into the heart of the final remaining jobs left in the coal industry. Hillary needs to apologize. No time like the present. I’m calling on you, Hillary. I am calling on you to apologize to every Kentuckian for what you said.
Previously, Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon–according to CNN’s Dan Merica–claimed that the GOP were aiming to “twist Hillary Clinton’s words” to imply she showed disdain for the coal worker community and coal industry.
“Obviously she was making the exact opposite point: that we have to take proactive steps to make sure coal workers, their families and their communities get not just the benefits they’ve earned, but also the future they deserve,” Fallon said, per a CNN report at the time.
But now it’s clear Republicans, including Paul and others, are clearly going to pressure her on this throughout the year.
Kentucky has recently become a safe state for Republicans, as in the last presidential election, President Obama only carried four out of 120 counties statewide. Mitt Romney’s win there was one of the biggest landslides in the country.
Paul also released a video with his call for Clinton to apologize to Kentucky.
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