When Donald Trump insinuated that “second amendment people” “do something” about Hillary Clinton, media outlets and politicians issued swift condemnations. Clinton, of course, joined in too, tweeting that, “A person seeking to be the President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.”
Yet as with so many things, what Trump has threatened rhetorically Clinton has done in reality.
Whereas Trump’s off-the-cuff remarks suggest that he would support gun-rights activists assassinating a presidential candidate, Clinton has actually helped assassinate the leader of a sovereign state, Muammar Gaddafi. More than that, when she was caught on camera talking about Gaddafi’s assassination in between interviews with CBS, she giggled with glee, exclaiming, “We came, we saw, he died.”
When asked if she thought the assassination had anything to do with her surprise visit to Libya the week prior, then-Secretary of State Clinton rolled her eyes and said a sarcastic “no,” before saying, “I’m sure it did.” She let out another laugh.
This was in October 2011, the 8th month into the brutal U.S./NATO war against the independent state of Libya, which had wrought unspeakable destruction on the country and unleashed a wave of racist terror—including the ethnic cleansing of Tawergha—directed against dark-skinned Libyans and other Africans living in Libya.
Since the overthrow of Gaddafi’s widely popular Jamahiriya government, which liberated the country from colonialism and kicked out all foreign military bases, nationalized oil and key industries, and invested heavily in social programs, Libya has descended into turmoil. There is no central government, and various militias—including Daesh, or ISIS—rule the land.
Clinton did more than assassinate a political leader. She helped dismantle a proud, united and stable country and she continues to defend her instrumental support for intervention to this day.
