Bill Clinton says election will come down to 'whether we can get an honest, open count'

COLUMBUS, Ga. — Former President Bill Clinton said as he campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday that the election will come down to whether there is a fair and transparent vote tally.

Asked by NBC News what will decide the outcome, Clinton responded, "Who wants it bad enough and whether we can get an honest, open count."

A Clinton aide later said he was referring to various reports of threats and intimidation against election officials.

Clinton has been stumping for Harris in Georgia, where his remarks to voters Sunday raised eyebrows when he discussed immigration.

Trying to argue that Harris is more serious than former President Donald Trump about finding solutions to border issues and immigration, Clinton referred to the killing in February of a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, Laken Riley, and the man charged in her death, a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.

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Clinton said that it "probably wouldn't have happened" if migrants "had all been properly vetted."

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Trump, who has made immigration the foundation of his re-election bid while casting doubt on election security after his 2020 loss, used Clinton's remarks against the Harris campaign, saying the man accused of killing Riley entered the U.S. days before Harris called the border "secure."

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The Harris campaign said Clinton's words were taken out of context. In his full remarks, Clinton said the U.S. needs "vetted" immigrants to do work. He also touched on Trump's successful efforts to sink a bipartisan bill this year that would have beefed up border security.

Clinton is one of the high-profile surrogates, including former President Barack Obama, campaigning for Harris as the race enters its final stretch. A new NBC News poll indicates the contest is a dead heat.