The campaign of US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton colluded with the party establishment to defeat Senator Bernie Sanders in the primary race for the White House, an American author and radio host in Chicago says. “The primaries were rigged for Clinton over Sanders,” Stephen Lendman told Press TV on Friday. “Had they been honest primaries, I think Sanders would have won and Clinton would have lost.”

“I think she stole New York, I think she stole California,” Lendman said. “Something like 40 percent of the votes in California were not counted.” A new poll has found that if Clinton were forced to quit the race for the White House due to her deteriorating health, Democrats would like Sanders to accept the party’s presidential nomination.

According to the Rasmussen survey released on Friday, 48 percent of likely Democratic voters favored Sanders in that scenario, while 22 percent supported Vice President Joe Biden. Fourteen percent of likely Democratic voters backed Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine, and nine percent chose someone else.

Sanders – a former primary rival of Clinton – suspended his campaign in July and endorsed the former secretary of state, despite leaked emails that showed top officials at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) privately planned to undermine Sanders’s presidential campaign.

Clinton returned to the campaign trail on Thursday, four days after she almost fainted during a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. The incident fueled speculations about Clinton’s health, an issue that has been haunting her ever since she suffered a blood clot in her brain in 2012.

The candidate’s physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, released a statement via the campaign and said she had pneumonia. Even before the incident, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and some other Republicans had accused Clinton of hiding critical information about her health.

‘Clinton didn’t faint, she collapsed’

“Hillary is very wobbly, she collapsed at the 9/11 memorial last Sunday, she collapsed, she collapsed, she didn’t faint, she collapsed, they had to drag her,” Lendman said.

“Dr. Bardack is taking orders from the Clinton campaign, from the Democratic National Committee, the DNC, and she can do nothing and say nothing without their permission; she’s basically a servant of their wishes,” the journalist added.

Presstv