Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump is “pathologically lying” about the claim that thousands of Muslims in America were celebrating after the 9/11 terrorist attack.
{mosads}“Nobody has seen a tape of thousands of people celebrating the destruction of the Twin Towers in New Jersey. It doesn’t exist. And he keeps claiming it. That’s called pathological lying,” the White House hopeful said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Earlier in the show, Trump said in an interview that Sanders had lied during Saturday’s Democratic debate.
“Yet he just a few moments ago accused me of lying. What I said last night is that he has suggested that Mexicans who are coming to this country are criminals and rapists. That is exactly what he said,” Sanders said.
Sanders, a Democratic primary candidate, accused Trump of “playing on the fears and anxieties of the American people.”
“But what Trump says — and this isn’t new, this is what demagogues all over the world historically have done — is say, ‘Are you nervous? Are you scared? Are you frightened for the future? I’ll tell you the reason. It’s the Muslims,’ ” Sanders said, imitating Trump.
“ ‘All those Muslims out there are terrorists. We have to stop them coming into this country. It’s the Mexicans. It’s the immigrants who are coming in. They’re all rapists and criminals,’ ” he continued.
Sanders said Trump’s celebrity candidacy is preventing Americans from having a rational debate about important policy proposals.