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 Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," Trump said Clinton had no
evidence to back up a charge she made during a debate on Saturday
that the Republican frontrunner is becoming the extremist group's
"best recruiter."
"She's a liar and everybody knows that," Trump said. "She just made
this up in thin air."
Trump's call to ban all Muslims from entering the United States
following a Jan. 2 attack in San Bernardino, California that killed
14 people has drawn widespread criticism from Republican rivals as
well as Democrats like Clinton.
During Saturday night's Democratic debate, Clinton said Islamic
State is using Trump's rhetoric to enlist fighters to radical jihad.
"They are going to people, showing videos of Donald Trump insulting
Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists," the
Democratic frontrunner said.
 Counterterrorism experts and Reuters reporters who monitor Islamist
online activity have found no evidence so far that Islamic State has
mentioned Trump in its official online accounts.
Asked to comment on Sunday, the Clinton campaign did not respond to
Trump's charge but reiterated that Hillary Clinton's remark was
based on evidence that supporters of the extremist group frequently
cite Trump's comments to make the case that Americans hate Muslims.
It quoted a counterterrorism expert and linked to a tweet from a
"very vocal ISIS supporter."
For Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, that's enough to
indicate that Trump is helping, not hurting, the jihadist group.
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"That's the interpretation we made," Podesta said on "Meet the
Press," adding "I think it's a very fair charge."
Counterterrorism experts say it is nearly impossible to keep track
of the torrent of online activity being generated by Islamic State
and its sympathizers.
"There are very few analysts who have watched all of IS's videos,"
said counterterrorism analyst Daveed Gartenstein-Ross. "That being
said, I believe Hillary Clinton's claim was false."
Still, Trump's comments make it harder for the United States to
build good will among Muslim populations and make him complicit in
Islamic State mobilization efforts, said Democratic strategist Bud
Jackson.
"Donald Trump is in essence aiding and abetting the enemy with his
comments. He's making things worse, not better. There's no denying
that," he said.
(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Andy Sullivan,
Mary Milliken and Alan Crosby)
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