Congressman and Iraq War Vet Blasts Trump’s ‘Praise’ of Saddam Hussein

“Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right?” the presumptive Republican nominee declared at a campaign rally in North Carolina. He was a bad guy, really bad guy, but you know what he did well?

“You know what he did well?”

Trump, who supported the Iraq War before the invasion and in the early months of the war, said the US “shouldn’t have destabilized” Iraq before pivoting to praising Hussein. “They didn’t read ’em the rights; they didn’t talk”.

“Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism”, Trump added.

If you substitute “opponent of his regime” for “terrorist”, you have a true statement. It’s like Harvard. OK?

Trump’s comments came the same day that Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey, while not suggesting criminal charges, blasted Clinton for being “extremely careless” as Secretary of State when it came to mishandling top secret and classified information.

“Mr. Trump was pointing out the facts, that Saddam Hussein was a disgusting, awful person”. Hussein’s Iraq also funded Palestinian suicide bombers, according research by the Council on Foreign Relations, among other pro-terrorist activities.

The report details Hussein’s collaboration with an array of terrorist groups both inside and outside of Iraq while he was in power.

“What about the human rights abuses?” He wrote “Saddam led Iraq into long wars lasting several years, during which Iraqis had to fight for what he believed in”. He was executed by hanging in December 2006.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s campaign quickly seized on Trump’s words and branded him unfit for office.

Mr Trump made the statement to supporters at a campaign rally on Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday evening, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan attempted to distance himself from Trump’s comments about Hussein by focusing on the deposed Iraqi dictator and avoiding Trump’s words. He was up there. “He committed genocides against his people and eventually Iraq had up to 250 mass graves spread around in the country”. “When he says things that I don’t agree with I’m going to speak my mind”.