Donald Trump is guilty of perpetrating “political arson” for the violence seen at his most recent series of political rallies, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told host Jake Tapper during Sunday night’s CNN presidential town hall.
What “Trump has done is like a case of political arson,” Clinton claimed to her audience at Ohio State University. “He has lit the fire and then he throws his hands up and claims that he shouldn’t be held responsible [but] he should be held responsible.”
“I think all Americans should be concerned. It’s clear that Donald Trump is running a very cynical campaign pitting groups of Americans against one another,” Clinton began.
He is trafficking in hate and fear. He is playing to our worst instincts rather than our angels of our better nature. He actually incites violence in the way that he urges his audience on, you know, now talking about punching people, offering to pay legal bills, and then on the specifics, you know, we know that he has been incredibly bigoted toward so many groups, he talks about deporting eleven, twelve million immigrants–we’re a nation built on immigrants–he talks about preventing Muslims from coming into our country–we believe in religious freedom. There’s just so much of what he’s doing that I think we all have to reject. Because it is so at odds with our values you don’t make America great by tearing down everything that made America great and so let’s stand up and with one voice and reject that.
Tapper responded pointing out that Trump has said many of the protesters that have plagued his events were sent there by Sanders’ and Clinton’s own campaigns. Hillary sidestepped the question turning instead to attack Trump.
Indeed, even left-wing cable network MSNBC recently reported that it was Sanders supporters who helped shut Trump down in Chicago.
Clinton refused to bite on Tapper’s question. “Well let’s start with what I think is the truth,” she replied.
Donald Trump is responsible for what happens at his events. He is the person who has for months now been not just inciting violence but applauding violence. The images of the, you know, young African American protester being attacked totally without any provocation what so ever and having Donald Trump saying he would pay the legal bills of the attacker. So clearly, you know, people who engage in protest should follow civil disobedience principles and should be peaceful, should be non-violent.
Clinton then went on to reiterate a charge she made late last week that Trump is a “political arsonist.”
What “Trump has done is like a case of political arson,” Clinton insisted. “He has lit the fire and then he throws his hands up and claims that he shouldn’t be held responsible [but] he should be held responsible.”
Clinton avoided remarking on efforts by the radical left to attack Trump. As Breitbart’s Lee Stranahan reported, an alliance of the media, left-wing activists, celebrities and the Republican establishment are blaming Donald Trump for the disruptions that are intended to shut down his events. Stranahan, though, said that “highly organized, well-funded leftist activists have had it out in a big way for Trump since day one.”
Transcript of segment:
JAKE TAPPER: So welcome. Thanks for being here.
HILLARY CLINTON: Thank you.
JAKE TAPPER: I understand that you were just speaking to the Ohio Democratic Party I and you had a few choice words about the Republican front runner.
HILLARY CLINTON: I did.
JAKE TAPPER: A couple of them.
Specifically about the violence at his rallies and some of the comments we talked about that with Senator Sanders. What are your concerns?
HILLARY CLINTON: Well I think all Americans Should be concerned. It’s clear that Donald Trump is running a very cynical campaign pitting groups of Americans against one another. He is trafficking in hate and fear. He is playing to our worst instincts rather than our angels of our better nature. He actually incites violence in the way that he urges his audience on, you know, now talking about punching people, offering to pay legal bills, and then on the specifics, you know, we know that he has been incredibly bigoted toward so many groups, he talks about deporting eleven, twelve million immigrants–were nation build on immigrants–he talks about preventing Muslims from coming into our country–we believe in religious freedom. There’s just so much of what he’s doing that I think we all have to reject. Because it is so at odds with our values you don’t make America great by tearing down everything that made America great and so let’s stand up and with one voice and reject that.
JAKE TAPPER: So, Donald Trump… to play devil’s advocate, Donald Trump says that it is supporters of Senator Sanders and supporters of yours who came to Chicago and shut down his rally with violence. Obviously when we all looked at those horrific pictures from that night it was not easy to discern that one side was wrong and the other side was right or what was going on, there a lot of people fighting. Do you think that there are Democrats who also need to be cautioned violence is not the way to go here?
HILLARY CLINTON: Well let’s start with what I think is the truth. Donald Trump is responsible for what happens at his events. He is the person who has for months now been not just inciting violence but applauding violence. The images of the, you know, young African American protester being attacked totally without any provocation what so ever and having Donald Tump saying he would pay the legal bills of the attacker. So clearly, you know, people who engage in protest should follow civil disobedience principles and should be peaceful, should be non violent, but I do think that as I said the other day what Trump has done is like a case of political arson. You know, he has lit the fire and then he throws his hands up and claims that he shouldn’t be held responsible and he should be held responsible.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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