Zinke takes stage at GOP convention

Montana’s Rep. Ryan Zinke brought the first night of the Republican National Convention to a close late Monday night in Cleveland, using the stage to blast Democrats on national security and military leadership.

Zinke — a former Navy SEAL commander and Whitefish resident — was part of the Convention’s tribute to military. The night emphasized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to “Make America Safe Again.”

Zinke touched on the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and talked about the need for better leadership in national security. The congressman spoke to a largely empty arena as the program ran late and most of the crowd left after Melania Trump’s speech.

“Did you ever hear of a place called Gitmo?” he asked the small crowd gathered in front of the stage. “Let’s just say I’m personally acquainted with many of those individuals experiencing those accommodations. And let me tell you, they need to stay there forever.”

He went on to blame Democrats for what he describes as military failures, calling President Barack Obama and Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “armchair quarterbacks.”

“Our world knows this president is weak,” he said. “And his anointed successor, the architect of Benghazi, is no better.”

“I shudder to think how many times our flag will fly at half mast if Hillary Clinton is in the Oval Office.”

He added that in a Trump administration, “If we go to war, we’ll go to war to win.”

“We need a commander in chief that will put our veterans in front of the line rather than letting them die while waiting for health care,” Zinke added.

“It is time to rally around Donald Trump, who will make America safe again.”

He left the stage with a shout out to Big Sky country.

“Montana, I love ya!” he said in closing.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report