Clinton camp blasts Trump over support for ‘brutal strongmen’

Hillary Clinton’s campaign blasted Donald Trump late Tuesday over his praise for Saddam Hussein, calling his comments proof of how “dangerous” the presumptive Republican presidential nominee would be in the White House.

{mosads}“Donald Trump’s praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds,” said Clinton adviser Jake Sullivan in a statement. “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 [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.”

During a speech earlier Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C., Trump said that Hussein was a “really bad guy,” before praising the late Iraqi dictator for his method of dealing with terrorists.

“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 a terrorist — it was over,” Trump said.

“Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism. You want to be a terrorist, you go to Iraq. It’s like Harvard, OK?” he added. “So sad.” 

Sullivan pushed back on the comments, noting Hussein’s brutality and support for terror groups.

“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 said. “In reality, Hussein’s regime was a sponsor of terrorism — one that paid families of suicide bombers who attacked Israelis, among other crimes.”

“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,” he added.