Clinton campaign slams Trump for praising Saddam Hussein

Washington, July 6: Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on Wednesday slammed presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for praising former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, saying such comments "demonstrate how dangerous he would be as Commander-in-Chief".

"Donald Trump's praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds," Jake Sullivan of the Clinton campaign said in a statement after Trump praised Hussein during an election rally in North Carolina.

Trump, he said, 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 said.

"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," Sullivan said.

Trump praised Hussein's ruthlessness during the rally, saying he killed terrorists "so good."

"Saddam Hussein was a bad guy...really bad guy. 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. It was over Over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism," Trump said.

Trump's own party leaders also did not agree with him. "Hussein was one of the 20th century's most evil people," the House Speaker Paul Ryan told Fox News in an interview.

PTI