By Nick Gale, WLS-AM News
(CHICAGO) U.S. Rep. Tammy Dickworth’s (D-IL) campaign is responding to tweets from her GOP rival in the race for U.S. Senate.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) took to Twitter this week, where he posted a video of a Chicago Tribune Editorial Board with Duckworth and her Democratic primary opponents. In her comments, Duckworth, speaking about two Iraq refugees in Texas, said they were radicalized in the U.S. because they had, “been on those talk hotlines with ISIS. Because they see people like Mark Kirk demonizing Muslim and Islam and wanting to shut down our borders. That’s how we turn people against us.”
One of those at the editorial board then asked if Duckwoth thought young Muslims were being radicalized by U.S. politicians.
“No, I think they were radicalized by ISIS, who are attempting to get U.S. politicians and the United States to react in fear,” Duckworth said.
Kirk later tweed, along with the editorial board video, that Duckworth is “a naive fool if she believes terrorists are inspired by lawmakers over radical Islamic ideology.”
Duckworth’s campaign responded in a written statement:
“The truth hurts: Mark Kirk helped lead the charge into the Iraq War, and that disastrous decision created the conditions which gave rise to ISIS. He was wrong then, he’s wrong now, and his bizarre Twitter tantrum today reveals that he doesn’t appreciate being challenged or held to account for how he’s been wrong on just about every critical national security issue of the past 15 years, or for his irresponsible rhetoric. When Kirk fear mongers over Syrian refugees or says criticism of Iran will just “bounce off their turbans” — or when Donald Trump says we should ban all Muslims from entering the country — these politicians are dividing people and running counter to an America that welcomes people of good will from all faiths. They’re also doing groups like ISIS a favor by painting a phony picture that America is anti-Muslim, which only serves to recruit more terrorists who hate us and want to kill our soldiers and civilians.”
Kirk has proposed suspending accepting refugees.
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
