In a second statement released Monday morning, Donald Trump’s campaign said Hillary Clinton was trying “to distract from her horrible record on ISIS” by accusing her opponent of treason.
“Hillary Clinton’s comments today accusing Mr. Trump of treason are not only beyond the pale, it’s also an attempt to distract from her horrible record on ISIS,” Trump spokesman Jason Miller said in the statement. “If Clinton really wants to find the real cause of ISIS, she needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror.”
While Clinton did not use the word “treason” in a press conference earlier Monday morning, her comments mirrored the language in the U.S. legal definition of treason.
Clinton warned Americans not to get “distracted” by Trump’s “irresponsible, reckless rhetoric” after weekend attacks involving explosives in three cities in New York and New Jersey, as well as the stabbing of nine people in a Minnesota mall.
“We also know from the former head of our counterterrorism center, Matt Olsen, that the kinds of rhetoric and language that Mr. Trump has used is giving aid and comfort to our adversaries,” Clinton added.
Read the full Trump campaign statement below:
“Hillary Clinton’s comments today accusing Mr. Trump of treason are not only beyond the pale, it’s also an attempt to distract from her horrible record on ISIS. If Clinton really wants to find the real cause of ISIS, she needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. The decision to remove all American troops from Iraq in 2011, which was vigorously supported by Clinton, created the vacuum that led to the founding of ISIS. Nothing she says or does can ever un-ring that bell. The only thing we can expect from a Hillary Clinton presidency is more attacks on our homeland and more innocent Americans being hurt and killed.” – Jason Miller, Senior Communications Advisor
And watch Clinton’s remarks:
.@HillaryClinton: Trump’s rhetoric “giving aid and comfort to our adversaries,” used online for terror recruitment. https://t.co/9i5NIMfTeP
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 19, 2016
This post has been updated.
