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Hillary Clinton ‘Waffles’ On Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal

Hillary Rodham Clinton
AP
October 7, 2015

Hillary Clinton came out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal Wednesday, explaining that it will not meet her "high bar" for creating jobs, boosting wages, and upholding national security.

"As of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it," Clinton told journalist Judy Woodruff in Iowa Wednesday.

"I don’t believe it’s going to meet the high bar I have set."

Clinton’s statement represents a departure from her past opinions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She pushed for the trade deal repeatedly during her time as secretary of state, championing the deal dozens of times.

The Republican National Committee accused Clinton of "waffling" on the issue.

"Despite helping negotiate the Trans-Pacific trade deal as Secretary of State and calling it a ‘gold standard,’ Hillary Clinton reversed her position after admitting she hadn’t even read the final agreement," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus stated Wednesday.

"Hillary Clinton’s painful waffling on TPP has been a case study in political expediency and is precisely why an overwhelming majority of Americans don’t trust her."

Clinton voiced concerns "about currency manipulation not being part of the agreement" and that "pharmaceutical companies may have gotten more benefits and patients fewer."

The United States, Japan, and 10 other countries on Monday finalized the trade agreement, which represents the largest regional trade deal in history. Congress now has 90 days to review the deal and then vote on it. President Obama has championed the deal.