Donald Trump accused of inciting violence against Hillary Clinton
Presidential candidate Donald Trump has continued his controversial campaign for the White House, saying his rival Hillary Clinton should let her bodyguards disarm so the nation can "see what happens to her" when she is unprotected.
Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager, said the comment amounted to "inciting people to violence".
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Trump was railing against Clinton's call for tighter rules on gun ownership – which he regards as a breach of Americans' second amendment rights.
At a rally on Friday night, Trump said: "I think that her body guards should drop all weapons. I think they should disarm. Immediately. What do you think. Yes? Take their guns away. She doesn't want guns. Take them. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK. It will be very dangerous."
Crooked Hillary wants to take your 2nd Amendment rights away. Will guns be taken from her heavily armed Secret Service detail? Maybe not!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2016
Mook said in a statement: "[Trump] has a pattern of inciting people to violence. Whether this is done to provoke protestors at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief.
"This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate, just like it should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate to peddle a conspiracy theory about the President of the United States for five years."
The comment from Trump comes after he accused Clinton of starting a scandal about whether President Barack Obama was born in the US – named the "birther" conspiracy – when in fact he was the one who first questioned Obama's heritage.
Clinton's response to Trump's lie was simple:
What Trump just did is a disgrace.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2016