Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell compared President Donald Trump to Osama Bin Laden before the House vote to impeach the president for a second time.
In an interview with PBS News Hour, Swalwell said Trump’s actions were comparable to the Bin Laden after rioters supporting Trump stormed the U.S. capitol on Jan. 6, committing acts of vandalism and violence and postponing the electoral college certification process, forcing members of Congress to evacuate the building.
“Well, Osama Bin Laden did not enter US soil on September 11, but it was widely acknowledged that he was responsible for inspiring the attack on our country and the president, with his words, using the word fight… that is hate speech that inspired and radicalized people to storm the Capitol,” Swalwell said in the interview.
Swalwell was then asked if he was comparing Trump to Bin Laden, to which he did not directly respond to the question.
“I’m comparing the words of an individual who would incite and radicalize somebody as Osama Bin Laden did to what President Trump did. You don’t actually have to commit the violence yourself but if you call others to violence that itself is a crime,” he said.
WATCH:
This is excerpt from Dailycaller