Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson called the persistent rumors of his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, leaving the ticket "bulls--t" in a Facebook Live interview on Thursday and said that Weld would not be going anywhere.
Weld was reportedly nervous that the Libertarian Party was going to play the role of Ralph Nader in 2000 and cost Hillary Clinton the election. Weld has gone on-record with some decidedly un-Libertarian policy suggestions, such as support for gun control.
Veteran investigative report Carl Bernstein first floated last week the rumor that the former Massachusetts governor is so alarmed by the possibility the Libertarian ticket could play spoiler and elect Donald Trump as president that he’s considering dropping out of the race and backing Hillary Clinton.
“That is bulls**t,” Johnson said flatly when pressed on the issue by USA Today opinion editor Bill Sternberg.
“We are on Facebook Live,” Sternberg responded.
Johnson did not poll high enough to be featured in the upcoming presidential debates, but did gain the support of over a third of the United States military.