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Newsweek Insists Clinton Can Still Be Installed as President

Hillary Clinton signs an autograph on a Newsweek 'Madam President' commemorative magazine backstage after a campaign rally on November 7, 2016
January 18, 2018

A Newsweek story published Thursday insisted, again, that there was still a chance that 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton could be installed as president.

Despite being written by Newsweek's "breaking news reporter," the story was based off a Medium post by Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig written in October.

Lessig argued President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence could both resign if Trump was found guilty of colluding with Russia during the election. From there, Lessig insisted House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) should appoint Clinton his vice president, and then simply resign.

"He should nominate the person defeated by the treason of his own party, and then step aside, and let her become the President," he argued.

In addition to the idea being fairly unlikely and dated, the Thursday story was unusual in that the outlet already covered the exact same Medium post when it was written three months earlier.

Newsweek was promptly mocked on Twitter by journalists who noted the scenario had basically no chance of actually happening.

Published under: Newsweek