Libertarian VP nominee: Gary Johnson ‘knew what Aleppo was’

Bill Weld says his running mate, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, knew what Aleppo was when he flubbed a response to a question about the Syrian city.

“Oh, he knew what Aleppo was,” Weld, a former Massachusetts governor, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday. “He just didn’t copy on the context.

{mosads}“He thought it was an acronym. He didn’t know it was a place name. No, I’ve heard him talk about Syria in some detail before that gaffe.”

Weld said Johnson is versed in foreign policy, despite a string of awkward moments recently that made him seem lost on the issue.

“You know, I think Gary is very solid on policy,” Weld said. “Pop quizzes, snap quizzes on television, not his forte.”

“He’s a very solid governor, and certainly he was eloquent on the perils of Syria before the Aleppo moment,” Weld added of the former GOP New Mexico governor.

Weld said that his past roles offered different political experiences than Johnson’s past.

“He’s a western governor,” he said. “He hasn’t had occasion to travel as much as, for example, I have in the last dozen years, both on business and as a member of organizations of heads of state.

“So I’ve probably had more foreign exposure the last 10 years than I had previously, just because of how I’m spending my time, and Gary’s time has been spent more in the west.”

Johnson seemingly did not know what Aleppo was during a memorable appearance on “Morning Joe” last month.

“What would you do if elected about Aleppo?”  commentator Mike Barnicle asked.

“And what is Aleppo?” Johnson responded.

“You’re kidding,” Barnicle retorted.

“No,” Johnson said.

“Aleppo is in Syria,” Barnicle said. “It is the epicenter of the refugee crisis.”

“OK, got it, got it,” Johnson said.