Clinton slams Trump for praising Saddam Hussein, 'killer of Israelis'
At an event in North Carolina, Trump said that Saddam proved himself efficient at killing terrorists– a skill he aspires to perfect should he assume the US presidency.
By MICHAEL WILNERUpdated: JULY 6, 2016 23:59US presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – The Clinton campaign slammed Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for his decision to praise former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.At an event in North Carolina on Tuesday night, Trump said that Saddam proved himself efficient at killing terrorists – a skill he aspires to perfect should he assume the US presidency.“He was a bad guy – really bad guy,” Trump said. “But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good. They didn’t read them the rights.They didn’t talk. They were terrorists. Over.”The Saddam regime extrajudicially killed an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 Iraqi civilians. In addition, more than 300,000 Iraqis died in the 1980-88 Iran- Iraq War under his leadership.“Donald Trump’s praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds,” said Jake Sullivan, a senior foreign policy adviser to Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.“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.“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,” Sullivan continued. “In reality, Hussein’s regime was a sponsor of terrorism – one that paid families of suicide bombers who attacked Israelis, among other crimes.”The Saddam regime supported several Palestinian terrorist organizations.