Clinton Camp Blasts Trump’s ‘Cavalier Compliments’ For Dictators

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 26, 2016, on the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, America's economy, and other... Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis, Sunday, June 26, 2016, on the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, America's economy, and other issues. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The Hillary Clinton campaign on Tuesday night criticized Donald Trump’s comments about Saddam Hussein, calling out the Republican presidential candidate’s tendency to praise “brutal strongmen.”

“Donald Trump’s praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds. He has applauded the strength China showed in the Tiananmen Square massacre, offered admiration for Kim Jong Un’s murderous consolidation of power in North Korea, and consistently lavished praise on Vladimir Putin,” Jake Sullivan, a senior policy adviser to Clinton, said in a statement. “Tonight, Trump yet again lauded Saddam Hussein as a great killer of terrorists, noting with approval that he never bothered to read anyone their rights.”

During a Tuesday evening rally, Trump said that Hussein was a “bad guy. But he then said that the Iraqi dictator was “so good” at killing terrorists, noting that he “didn’t read them the rights.”

The Clinton campaign pointed out that Hussein helped support terrorist groups.

“In reality, Hussein’s regime was a sponsor of terrorism – one that paid families of suicide bombers who attacked Israelis, among other crimes,” Sullivan said in the statement. “Trump’s cavalier compliments for brutal dictators, and the twisted lessons he seems to have learned from their history, again demonstrate how dangerous he would be as Commander-in-Chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Given his role models for governance, it’s pretty obvious what kind of president Trump would be: brutal!

  2. Fine summation. It must be difficult for Hillz to choose from the smorgasbord of crazy Drumpf dishes up each day. “It all looks so doubleplusungood!”

  3. Can’t understand his appeal to the Constuhtooshin and freedums crowd, they seem all too willing to toss aside the hard won rights of humans without a second thought. (not that I’m crediting them with a first thought)

  4. For the Trumpsters, the Constuhtooshin only comprises the 2nd and 10th Amendments.

  5. Avatar for tao tao says:

    We know Trump is going to say this sort of madness. We know his supporters will accept it without question.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

10 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for cantabridgian Avatar for mymy Avatar for clemmers Avatar for dweb Avatar for inlabsitrust Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for lastroth Avatar for ignoreland Avatar for tao Avatar for suicide_arsonist Avatar for twowolves Avatar for dickweed Avatar for dnl Avatar for antisachetdethe Avatar for yail_bloor

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: