Hillary Clinton has dismissed Democratic calls to exercise civility after several Trump administration aides were shunned and heckled in public, comparing the demonstrations to President Trump’s “uncivil” zero tolerance policy toward illegal immigration that have resulted in family separations at the U.S. border.
“Oh, give me a break,” Clinton told the Guardian in an interview published Friday. “Give me a break! What is more uncivil and cruel than taking children away? It should be met with resolve and strength.
“And if some of that comes across as a little uncivil, well, children’s lives are at stake; their futures are at stake,” the former secretary of state added. “That is that ridiculous concept of bothsideism.”
Democratic lawmakers have implored for political rhetoric to be tamped down in the wake of Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., receiving a “very serious death threat” just days after she advocated for liberals to continue accosting Trump officials in public. She faced backlash over the comments and later claimed that she wanted to encourage peaceful protests, not incite violence.
This month, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller were harassed by activists in D.C. over the administration’s policy positions. Additionally, a restaurant owner in Lexington, Va., requested that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders leave the restaurant.
Trump last week signed an executive order that ended the practice of taking children away from parents or guardians accused of entering the U.S. illegally following widespread condemnation of his zero tolerance stance. The administration is in the process of reuniting families separated while the Department of Justice prosecuted adults over their immigration status.
