Hilary Clinton supports aggressive approach against Syrian president, declares she's not running for public office again

Hillary Clinton holds up a Donald Trump brand tie (R) made in China and a U.S. made Knotty Tie made by the company in Denver August 3, 2016. Reuters/Rick Wilking

Hilary Clinton said she pushed for a more aggressive approach against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by the time she was the US secretary of state, and she is now calling for the United States to bomb Syrian air fields. She also declared that she’s no longer bidding for another political office in the future.

Clinton was in attendance at the Women in the World conference on Thursday in New York City, in which she shared that she’s looking at doing interesting things. "I don't think I will look into ever running for office again,” she said.

Currently, Clinton said she had no specific plans, but would focus on areas where she can make a difference. She’s also penning a book. The statement from the former FLOTUS came amid reports that her name is being tossed around as a possible runner in the mayoral race in New York City where Democrat Bill de Blasio is the incumbent.

As for dealing with Assad, Clinton told New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof that she thinks the Syrian leader should have been stopped from bombing innocent people and dropping sarin gas on them. She pointed that during the administration of former US President Barack Obama, she had advocated for a no-fly zone in Syria, but it was opposed by Obama.

Her remarks came after the chemical attack in Syria that claimed the lives of 70 people, including children. The US and other Western countries put the blame on Assad's armed forces for the chemical attack, which was said to be the worst in the country for more than four years.

When asked about the alleged Russian interference during the 2016 presidential elections, she called for a bipartisan investigation. Clinton added that she doesn’t want anybody running campaigns to have their communications stolen. "We aren't going to let somebody sitting in the Kremlin, with bots and trolls, try to mix up our election,” she said.

Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican, is under investigation for supposedly disclosing classified information and stepped aside from the congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the US presidential election. Reuters notes that Representative Mike Conaway was tasked to lead the investigation.

When asked about how it feels to see the stumbles of the Trump administration in its early days, Clinton said she does not take any pleasure from seeing what she described as “chaotic functioning.” The conference was Clinton's first public interview since the 2016 US election.