"Lame-Duck" President James Buchanan Asserted Following the Presidential Election of 1860

"Lame-duck" President James Buchanan asserted following the presidential election of 1860 that

A) southern states had a legal right to secede from the Union.
B) southern states did not have any legitimate political or economic grievances against the northern states.
C) the election of 1860 was a fraud.
D) southern states had no choice but to secede from the Union.
E) southern states could not legally secede under the Constitution, but was unable to find the presidential authority under the Constitution to use American armed forces to prevent the seven southern states that had voted for secession from doing so.