Carly Fiorina criticized fellow GOP presidential contenders Ben Carson and Donald Trump for threatening to boycott CNBC’s debate.
{mosads}“Well, I think apparently they’re worried about answering questions for three hours,” she told host Megyn Kelly on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” on Thursday night.
“For heaven sakes, we have 10 candidates on stage,” Fiorina said. “I don’t think three hours is a long time.
“They also apparently asked for prepared statements,” she added of Carson and Trump. “You know, prepared statements are what politicians do.
“So, honestly, here are two outsiders supposedly. Donald Trump and Ben Carson – they sound a lot like politicians tonight to me.”
Carson and Trump both threatened a boycott of CNBC’s debate next month over its potential length and its lack of opening and closing statements.
Reports emerged Friday that the network is keeping the contest in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 28 capped at two hours with commercials.
Fiorina argued on Friday that voters deserve as much information as possible from their candidates for the White House next year.
“Maybe the establishment wants fewer debates but I think the American people really like them,” the former businesswoman said.
“I think we ought to stand and answer as many questions as we can,” Fiorina said. “When there are so many issues facing the American people, I think it’s actually quite important.”
“You know, the CNN Democrat debate was two hours,” she added of the event last Tuesday in Las Vegas. “On the other hand, they only had five people on the stage.”
Fiorina then criticized the Democratic presidential field’s overall performance following its first meeting together earlier this week.
“Unfortunately, Bernie Sanders gave [Hillary Clinton] a big pass by saying, ‘the American people are tired of hearing about your emails and your server,” she said of the Vermont senator’s handling of Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner.
“But of course, she lied about both,” Fiorina said of Clinton. “She lied about Benghazi.”
“I also found it kind of amusing, honestly, that Hillary claimed she was an outsider because she was a woman,” she added of the former first lady. “No, she’s not an outsider.”
“She is the quintessential professional member of the political class. I think what we can expect her to do is play that gender card over and over and over.”