In a six-figure, 2013 speech, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said terrorism does not constitute a threat to the U.S. as a nation, according to a new batch of emails released by WikiLeaks.
“[M]ake no mistake, as the recent travel alert underscores, we still face terrorism,” Clinton said during a private Aug. 7, 2013, speech in San Diego to the Global Business Travelers Association. “It’s not a threat to us as a nation. It is not going to endanger our economy or our society, but it is a real threat. It is a danger to our citizens here at home, and as we tragically saw in Boston, and to those living, working, and traveling abroad.”
Clinton brought in $225,000 for the speech, in which she downplayed the threat of terrorism America faces.
Interestingly, at another paid, private speech in New York City that same year, Clinton said she didn’t believe Russia would constitute any kind of a threat to the U.S.
“I last saw [Putin] in Vladivostok where I represented President Obama in September for the Asia Pacific economic community,” Clinton told Sanford C. Bernstein May 29, 2013, for $225,000. “I sat next to him. He’s an engaging and, you know, very interesting conversationalist. We talked about a lot of issues that were not the hot-button issues between us, you know, his view on missile defense, which we think is misplaced because, you know, we don’t believe that there will be a threat from Russia, but we think that both Russia and the United States are going to face threats from their perimeter, either from rogue states like Iran or from terrorist groups, that’s not the way he sees it.”
Excepts from her private speeches come at an uncomfortable time, as events have not exactly unfolded in alignment with her vision of terror or Russia’s relationship with the U.S. For starters, the U.S. has suffered numerous devastating terror attacks since 2013, including the attack in San Bernardino, the shooting at the Orlando nightclub, the recent mall stabbing in St. Cloud, Minn., and the bombing on a Manhattan street, among others. In Orlando, Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.
Secondly, the end of 2013 heralded the beginning of deteriorating relations with Russia, as Russia moved to annex Crimea in March 2014, and has since fought off the debilitating effects of sanctions to displace the U.S. as the primary geopolitical actor in Syria.
Russia is now deploying nuclear-capable missiles into a Kaliningrad outpost near Poland and Lithuania. Relations spiraling out of control have prompted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to warn Russia that the U.S. would soundly beat its military in a ground combat fight.
“I want to be clear to those who wish to do us harm … the United States military — despite all of our challenges, despite our [operational] tempo, despite everything we have been doing — we will stop you and we will beat you harder than you have ever been beaten before. Make no mistake about that,” Milley said.
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