Trump: US should consider profiling Muslims

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Donald Trump suggested Sunday that the United States should “seriously” consider profiling Muslims inside the country as a terrorism-fighting tool, the latest example of the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting increasingly backing positions that could single out a group based on their religion.

“We really have to look at profiling,” Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” ”It’s not the worst thing to do.“

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee added that he “hate[s] the concept of profiling, but we have to use common sense” over “political correctness.”

Trump’s proposal runs counter to Justice Department policy, which explicitly prohibits profiling on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity and national origin. That profiling ban applies not only to federal agents but also to local law-enforcement officers who participate in federal task forces.

Trump’s increasing embrace of policies that could isolate Muslims in America is extraordinary for a candidate assured of his party’s presidential nomination. The proposals have been roundly dismissed and criticized by many Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. Civil libertarians, Muslims and others also have strongly disagreed, arguing that profiling is unconstitutional and often constitutes unlawful discrimination based on race, religion and other factors.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Sunday she doesn’t believe the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server has been compromised by President Barack Obama’s endorsement of Clinton in the 2016 White House race.