Presidential races

Clinton campaign strategist: Republicans getting desperate

Joel Benenson, a campaign strategist for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, said early Sunday that the Republicans are promoting a conservative activist’s videos out of desperation as the presidential election draws closer.

{mosads}George Stephanopoulos asked Benenson on ABC’s “This Week” about conservative activist James O’Keefe’s latest video, which claims to show Democratic operatives planning to incite violence at Republican nominee Donald Trump’s rallies.

“So if the Republicans and Donald Trump or Eric Trump want to talk about James O’Keefe instead of the words of the nominee of the Republican Party, I think it’s showing a sign of desperation here” said Benenson, referring to Trump’s past statements about violence at his rallies. 

“But what’s been going on throughout this campaign, in Donald Trump’s own words, we have video of Donald Trump saying, ‘Punch him in the mouth. I want him carried out on a stretcher,’ ” said Benenson.

“I mean, this is a candidate running for president of the United States,” he said.