Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said he was "reticent" to comment on a reported remark by the Democratic nominee asking if the U.S. could launch a drone strike against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
A Fox 5 DC reporter pressed Mook on Monday to explain whether Clinton’s comment was made as a joke.
"I’m reticent to comment on anything that the WikiLeaks people have said. They’ve made a lot of accusations in the past," Mook said in the interview.
Clinton allegedly made the quip during a State Department meeting while serving as secretary of state, asking aides, "Can’t we just drone this guy?" in reference to Assange, True Pundit reported Sunday.
Hillary Clinton on Assange "Can't we just drone this guy" -- report https://t.co/S7tPrl2QCZ pic.twitter.com/qy2EQBa48y
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 3, 2016
Mook called the story a "conspiracy" theory and said Donald Trump and his surrogates were attempting to draw attention to the alleged remarks to distract from the Republican nominee’s debate performance last week.
"Donald Trump and his allies are trying to do everything they can to change the debate here right now," Mook said. "They’ve got to find some way to change this up, and they’re trying to do that by doubling down on conspiracy theories."