Kamala Harris Condemns Trump’s Baghdadi Raid Press Conference: Like He Was ‘Watching and Giving Commentary on a Video Game’
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris condemned the rambling and violent rhetoric President Donald Trump deployed in his nearly 50-minute press conference announcing the death of ISIS terror leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Trump’s at-times gruesome and gloating press conference on Sunday morning, which stood in sharp contrast to President Barack Obama’s brief, somber announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, was broadly criticized as sounding more like a dictator’s diatribe than an official White House announcement.
Speaking with Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s Late Night, Harris first discussed the military and intelligence officials who helped to pull off the successful raid.
“If there is ever a time to celebrate the death of anyone, someone like al-Baghdadi would be that,” Meyer said, as Harris agreed. “Can you talk about both the importance of that and how there was value to that? And also the handling of it for this administration?”
“I want to just praise our Special Forces, the American intelligence community. I, you know, I work closely with them in connection with my service on the Senate intelligence committee and they tirelessly and selflessly do incredible work,” Harris said, specifically calling out the CIA for its role. “These are people who serve our country and die for our country who never get personal acknowledgement. And, you know, and honestly, I think that it’s really important at this moment to also credit them knowing that you’ve had Donald Trump as commander-in-chief, who has spent full time attacking the integrity and the professionalism and sacrifice of those professionals.”
“Donald Trump…that press conference…was extraordinary,” Harris then said, leaning back and occasionally pausing for dramatic effect. “You would’ve think [sic] that he was talking about watching and giving commentary on a video game. He is the Commander-in-Chief, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America…has as her highest priority the responsibility to concern herself…” Harris said, pausing to let the cheers for her pronoun choice to register.
“He clearly does not fully appreciate the importance of the job, which must be done with integrity, which must be done in a way that is solemn, understanding what is at stake. And, but I give full credit to our military, to our Special Forces, to our intelligence committee for the work they’ve done and continue to do.”
Watch the video above, via NBC.
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