Democratic candidate regrets comparing Trump to bin Laden
Democratic congressional nominee Sean Casten's words comparing President Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden were "poorly chosen" and regretful, his campaign said Thursday as audio featuring the comment surfaced - and drew immediate Republican denunciations.
The state's Republican Party called the comparison "disqualifying," while GOP incumbent Peter Roskam's campaign called it "hateful, vicious language" and the "wrong approach."
Casten, a clean energy businessman, beat out six Democratic challengers in the March Democratic primary to face Roskam - who has easily won re-election each time since taking office in January 2007. The comparison of Trump to the architect of the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil was first reported in an online article on Thursday.
Casten said "in many ways … Trump and Osama bin Laden have a tremendous amount in common because they have both figured out how to use the bully pulpit to actively marginalize young men," according to audio obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet.