Ahead of Donald Trump’s speech Monday outlining his plan to fight radical Islamic terrorism, Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign accused the Republican nominee of being “a volatile man who threatens our security.”
“Trump is erratic. He’s thin-skinned. He’s vindictive. He praises dictators and displays a strange affinity for Putin. He trash talks America and threatens to abandon our allies. He uses dangerous rhetoric and proposes dangerous policies that play into the hands of terrorists,” Clinton campaign senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan wrote in a memo.
“Simply put, Donald Trump is unfit to be our commander in chief. This isn’t overcranked campaign rhetoric — national security experts across the political spectrum are issuing the same warning,” he said.
The preemptive strike hit Mr. Trump before he delivered a speech in Youngstown, Ohio, that is aimed at a top issues of the presidential race: homeland security and defeating the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
The ferocity of the attack underscored how vulnerable the Obama administration and Mrs. Clinton are to criticism about terrorism, which has spread on their watch.
Mr. Sullivan, who served under Mrs. Clinton when she was secretary of state, backed up his criticism by citing a letter last week signed by 50 former national security officials from Republican administrations who called Mr. Trump unqualified and reckless.
He cited Mr. Trump’s remark last week that President Obama “founded ISIS,” which the New York billionaire later characterized as sarcasm.
Mr. Sullivan attempted to link Mr. Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin with the remark.
“Reading off the talking points of Vladimir Putin and our other adversaries, Trump falsely claimed that Barack Obama founded ISIS,” Mr. Sullivan said. “The world noticed. Just days later, the leader of Hezbollah — a terrorist organization that seeks Israel’s destruction — approvingly quoted Trump’s comments.”
He argued that Mrs. Clinton, who also was first lady and a U.S. senator, was “uniquely qualified” to be commander in chief, compared to Mr. Trump who he was was “uniquely unqualified.”
“She has serious plans to make our country more secure, and a record of leadership to back it up,” he said. “He has neither. She is proud to call herself an American and of her work as a public servant. He calls America a third-world country.
“The choice is clear,” Mr. Sullivan wrote. “It’s not a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, but between a responsible leader who will keep us safe, and a volatile man who threatens our security.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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