Hillary Clinton’s emails, building the border wall and ditching Obamacare were among Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s top talking points during his seventh visit to Arizona as a presidential candidate.
Ten days before Election Day, Trump spoke for about an hour to a crowd of about 6,500 people Saturday afternoon at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Trump appeared to speak largely from prepared remarks as he emphasized his usual crowd-pleasing themes, such as building the wall and eliminating the Affordable Care Act, the Arizona Republic reported.
“Obamacare is a catastrophe for Arizona and we’re going to get rid of it,” Trump said.
He also hit hard on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s history of “corruption” and her use of a personal email server while secretary of state.
“This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate and it’s everybody’s deepest hope that justice, at last, will be beautifully delivered,” Trump said.
“Hillary has no one but herself to blame for her mounting legal difficulties. Her criminal action was willful, deliberate, intentional and purposeful.
“Hillary set up an illegal server for the obvious purpose of shielding her criminal conduct from public disclosure and exposure,” Trump continued.
That was a message the crowd wanted to hear. Long before Trump took the stage the crowd chanted “Lock her up!” in reference to Clinton, the Republic reported.
The emails again took center stage Friday when FBI Director James Comey told members of Congress that the FBI was reviewing new emails it deemed pertinent to its investigation of Clinton’s use of a private server. Comey this summer said criminal charges were not warranted in the case.
The Clinton campaign and its supporters have ripped Comey over the timing of the announcement, less than two weeks before the Nov. 8 election, and have demanded the immediate release of all information related to the review.
While homing in on Clinton’s emails, Trump also accused the Justice Department of doing everything it can to protect his Democratic rival, according to The Associated Press.
Trump is pointing to a disagreement between the DOJ and the FBI over its handling of the new emails , the AP reported.
Justice Department officials cautioned FBI Director James Comey against sending a letter to Congress informing it of the new emails, asserting that it was inconsistent with department policy intended to avoid the appearance of prosecutorial influence in elections.
But Trump told the crowd in Phoenix, “The Department of Justice is trying their hardest to protect the criminal activity of Hillary Clinton.”
Trump asked, “What’s happened to the Justice Department?” saying this is what he means when he says that the “system is rigged.”
Arizona, a traditionally red state, may be on the cusp of voting for Clinton, and it is attracting the attention of both candidates and their surrogates. Clinton’s campaign sent her daughter, Chelsea, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and first lady Michelle Obama to Arizona last week.
In warmup remarks before Trump spoke, former Gov. Jan Brewer mentioned the prospect of Arizona turning from red to blue, the Republic reported.
“Don’t boo — vote! Vote for the sake of our country!” Brewer urged the crowd.
What would it be like, she asked, if they could stand alongside Trump and say, “Thank you, Mr. President, for defending our country. … And most importantly, Thank you Mr. President, for securing our border.”
The crowd chanted: “Build the wall! Build the wall!”
The Republic also reported that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Republican in his own tough re-election fight, said Saturday was his seventh time with Trump. “And I’ll stand by him to the end,” he said.
