On Monday, Hillary Clinton briefly addressed reporters in White Plains, New York, before boarding her campaign jet. As she spoke, authorities were still searching for bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami in connection to a detonated pipe bomb in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan Sunday night. “This threat is real, but so is our resolve,” Clinton said. “Americans will not cower. We will prevail.” Rahami was apprehended and arrested by police in Linden, New Jersey shortly thereafter.
Sounding more like a sitting president than a politician embroiled in a fierce campaign, Clinton stressed her credentials in combating terrorism. “I won’t get into classified information, but I have sat at that table in the Situation Room,” the former Secretary of State said. “I’ve analyzed the threats. I’ve contributed to actions that have neutralized our enemies. I know how to do this. I know how we don’t want this to get even bigger than it already is.” By comparison, Clinton said, her opponent is actively inspiring terrorists to pick up arms:
“We know that Donald Trump’s comments have been used online for recruitment of terrorists. We’ve heard that from former CIA Director Michael Hayden, who made it a very clear point when he said Donald Trump is being used as a recruiting sergeant in and for the terrorists. We know from the former head of the Counterterrorism Center, Mike Olsen, that the language that Mr. Trump has used is giving aid and comfort to our adversaries.”
Referring to Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration to the United States, Clinton drew a clear line between fighting terrorism and xenophobia. “We are going after the bad guys and we are going to get them,” Clinton said. “But we are not going to go after an entire religion and give ISIS exactly what it’s wanting in order for them to enhance their position.”
Trump’s campaign was quick to fire back. “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 a statement.
In addition, Trump took to Facebook and accused Clinton of “embolden[ing] terrorists all over the world to attack the U.S., even on our own soil” during her tenure as Secretary of State. Trump also stated, “They are hoping and praying that Hillary Clinton becomes President — so that they can continue their savagery and murder.”
