The Republican presidential front-runner has said before that he would order waterboarding and worse for terrorism suspects, and that he would kill the families of terrorists -- acts that violate U.S. and international law.
His policies prompted nearly 100 Republican foreign policy experts to sign an open letter saying Tump's stance was inexcusable.
But asked how he would make the military carry out illegal orders to kill and torture people, Trump doubled down.
"They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me," Trump said.
That prompted Fox News moderator Brett Baier to protest: "But they're illegal."
Trump ignored that distinction, and tried to justify his position when he pointed to atrocities by extremist groups, calling them "these animals over in the Middle East."
He also stood by his intention to levy an extra-judicial death penalty on the families of suspected terrorists.
"They knew what was happening. The wife knew exactly what was happening," Trump said.
He never addressed the issue of committing crimes. And neither did Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who was given the opportunity to rebut Trump. He merely accused the real estate tycoon of false machismo.
"I think the American people understand that yelling and cursing at people doesn't make you a tough guy," Cruz said.
Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: Michael McAuliff
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