Republican strategist Karl Rove publicly questioned Hillary Clinton’s health last week, raising concerns about the damage the mooted 2016 presidential candidate sustained during a fall in December 2012 that doctors say resulted in a blood clot.
According to the New York Post’s Page Six, Rove insinuated that Clinton suffered from more than a blood clot while onstage at a conference. The Post reported that Rove said, “Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she’s wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury? We need to know what’s up with that.”
A Clinton spokesperson told the Post that Rove’s concerns were misplaced: “Please assure Dr. Rove she’s 100 percent. Karl Rove has deceived the country for years, but there are no words for this level of lying.”
Rove appearedon Fox News Tuesday morning to clarify that while he questioned Clinton’s health, he was misquoted. “I didn’t say she had brain damage,” Rove said. “My point was, is that Hillary Clinton wants to run for president, but she would not be human if this didn’t enter in as a consideration. And my other point is, this will be an issue in the 2016 race, whether she likes it or not.”
Rove continued, “Look, she had a serious health episode. And I don’t know about you, but if you go through a serious health episode, it causes you to look at life a little bit differently. This was a serious deal.”
[Politico]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com