USA TODAY International Edition
Clinton, Trump swap accusations of putting country in danger
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump accused each other of heightening the risk of domestic terror attacks in the aftermath of bombings in New York and New Jersey.
Trump called Clinton’s refugee policies “weak.” She said he’s become an online “recruiting sergeant” for terrorists, given his rhetoric, and has no plan to defeat the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. In response to blasts Saturday in New Jersey and New York and a knife attack in Minnesota, Clinton called Monday for a surge in intelligence and greater coordination with law enforcement and Silicon Valley technology companies; more outreach to MuslimAmerican communities to apprehend troubled individuals; and intensified diplomatic efforts across the Middle East.
“It’s important for voters to hear this and weigh it,” Clinton said after Trump accused her and President Obama of being weak on terror.
“We know that a lot of the rhetoric we’ve heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam rather than a war against jihadists, violent terrorists,” Clinton said at an airport hangar in White Plains, N. Y.
“They want to use that to recruit more fighters to their cause by turning it into a religious conflict. That’s why I’ve been very clear: We’re going after the bad guys, and we’re going to get them, but we’re not going to go after an entire religion and give ISIS exactly what it is wanting,” Clinton said.
The Islamic State and Al Shabaab, the East African affiliate of the al- Qaeda terrorist group, have used video clips of Trump calling for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the USA, according to PolitiFact.
In a campaign stop in Florida, Trump said Clinton lacks the “moral clarity” to serve as president.
“She very much caused the problem,” he said, citing “her weakness, her ineffectiveness.” He blamed the weekend attacks on an “extremely open immigration system which fails to properly vet and screen” individuals coming to the USA. Terrorists “want her so badly to be your president, you have no idea,” he said, citing the Obama administration’s policies in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East. “Her attacks on me are all meant to deflect her record of unleashing this monster of evil,” he said.
The GOP presidential nominee called for profiling individuals in a manner similar to Israel’s approach. Trump reiterated his call for a suspension of immigration from regions that pose a terrorist threat. Trump pointed to the administration’s policy of admitting refugees from war- torn areas of the Middle East, such as Syria.