Trump: Planned Parenthood shooting suspect a ‘maniac’

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday rejected the notion that heated rhetoric in the Planned Parenthood debate contributed to the fatal shooting spree at a clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo.

{mosads}“I think it’s terrible. I mean, terrible. It’s more of the same. And I think it’s a terrible thing. He’s a maniac,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I think he’s a sick person,” he added. “And I think he was probably a person ready to go. We don’t even know the purpose. I mean, he hasn’t come out, to the best of my knowledge, with a statement as to why it happened to be at that location.”

Trump did not respond directly when asked about reports that the alleged shooter, Robert Lewis Dear, discussed “baby parts” during an interview with law enforcement officials.

“This was a man who they said prior to this was mentally disturbed,” he said. “So, he’s a mentally disturbed person. There’s no question about that.”

Trump did, however, cite “tremendous dislike” for Planned Parenthood.

“Well, I will tell you there is a tremendous group of people that think it’s terrible, all of the videos that they’ve seen with some of these people from Planned Parenthood talking about it like you’re selling parts to a car. I mean, there are a lot of people that are very unhappy about that,” he said.

“I see a lot of anxiety and I see a lot of dislike for Planned Parenthood. There’s no question about that.”