Clinton: Trump inspiring terrorism

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton early Monday accused Donald Trump of inspiring acts of terrorism through his rhetoric, saying her GOP rival is turning the fight against terror into a religious war with Islam that threatens U.S. safety.

{mosads}Speaking at a press conference to address the blasts in the New York area over the weekend, Clinton was asked whether sympathizers of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are looking to sow chaos that might influence the presidential campaign.

“We know that a lot of rhetoric we’ve heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular ISIS, because they’re looking to make this into a war against Islam rather than a war against jihadists. Violent terrorists, people whose number in the tens of thousands, not tens of millions, they want to use that to recruit more fighters to turn this into a religious conflict,” Clinton responded.

“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 after an entire religion and give the terrorists exactly what its wanting in order for them to enhance their position,” she added. “Second, we know Donald Trump’s comments have been used online in recruitment for terrorists.”

Clinton pointed to remarks from former CIA Director Michael Hayden and Matt Olsen, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who have accused Trump of giving terrorists recruitment material by calling for a blanket ban on Muslims entering the country.

“The kind of language and rhetoric Trump has used is giving comfort to our adversaries,” Clinton said.

The Trump campaign quickly fired back, calling Clinton’s remarks “beyond the pale” and “an attempt to distract from her horrible record on ISIS.”

Trump communications adviser Jason Miller accused Clinton of supporting policies that led directly to the rise of ISIS.

“If Clinton really wants to find the real cause of ISIS, she needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror,” Miller said. “The decision to remove all American troops from Iraq in 2011, which was vigorously supported by Clinton, created the vacuum that led to the founding of ISIS. Nothing she says or does can ever un-ring that bell. The only thing we can expect from a Hillary Clinton presidency is more attacks on our homeland and more innocent Americans being hurt and killed.”

A massive manhunt for a suspect believed to be connected with a series of bombings over the weekend in New York and New Jersey ended Monday when authorities apprehended Ahmad Khan Rahami.

Trump said in a Monday morning interview with “Fox and Friends” that the attacks had “foreign connections” and advocated for racial profiling.

“We’re allowing these people to come into our country and destroy our country and make it unsafe for people,” Trump said.

–This report was updated at 12:24 p.m.