For the second day in a row, Hillary Rodham Clinton remained silent on the federal seizure of Elian Gonzalez – even as her Senate opponent Mayor Giuliani blasted the raid.
Clinton was spending the holiday weekend at Camp David with President Clinton, the primary target of Giuliani’s continuing tirade over Saturday’s pre-dawn raid to capture Elian.
“She’s going to be enjoying Easter with her family,” said Clinton campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson.
But Giuliani, after delivering Easter baskets to kids at Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan, blasted the president for the heavy-handed use of force by federal agents.
“They were dressed up as if they were in the middle of a war action,” Giuliani said. “There was no question that it was a gross overreaction.”
Giuliani went on to accuse President Clinton of being in cahoots with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
“The reality is that this has something to do with his relationship with Fidel Castro. It’s not by accident that Fidel Castro had a tremendous demonstration in Cuba yesterday,” said Giuliani.
“The big winner yesterday was Fidel Castro. He’s been orchestrating this.”
Mrs. Clinton’s position on Elian’s fate has been a series of flip-flops.
Late last year, her initial stand was that Elian’s case should go through the legal system, taking into consideration the sacrifice his mother made and the freedom he would have here.
Several weeks later, in an online interview, Mrs. Clinton said it would be best if Elian and his dad were reunited, suggesting that should happen in Cuba.
More recently, she came out against a bill in Congress that would give Elian legal residency in the United States. She again called for reuniting father and son, but she wouldn’t say where.
Giuliani, perhaps burnishing conservative credentials, has been steadfast in support of the anti-Castro Cuban expatriates.
Giuliani said the Clinton administration should have exhausted every legal option before approving the raid.
“Maybe having failed that, then you would have to take more significant action. But those attempts were never made,” said Giuliani.
While the mayor continued to hammer the tactics used in the operation, he no longer likened the federal cops involved to “storm troopers” as he did on Saturday.