Literally who? RNC spokesperson compares Democratic candidates to Mussolini

While Democrats routinely compare US President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a GOP spokeswoman fired back by likening the Democratic presidential candidates to fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson Elizabeth Harrington has entered the competition for the most wicked political parallels as she compared Democratic presidential contenders to Mussolini.

The founding father of fascism was an active member of Italy's Socialist Party well before he sided with Hitler, and stood by his revolutionary socialist views even after he was expelled at the start of the First World War.

Harrington's remark, however, didn't delve into historical detail. She made it in passing during a Fox News interview while making a passionate case for Trump's reelection and warning of the perils of radical socialism, which the Republicans accuse some left-leaning Democrats of preaching.

You are going to be faced with a choice in 2020, and the president is exactly right. He said there are no Winston Churchills. But you know, I do see quite a few Benito Mussolinis in the Democratic field.

"The Democrats are pushing a radical agenda and we are not going to turn far to the left in 2020, we are going to stick with the progress we've made," she added.

Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, who appeared taken aback by the comparison, predicted that Harrington would inevitably face a backlash for comparing Democrats to the fascist leader, but noted that she understands "the socialism aspect of that."

Harrington was not the first high-flying GOP member to invoke Mussolini while heaping scorn on Democrats. In February, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) tweeted a Mussolini quote without providing any context, explaining later that it was meant as a swipe at Democrats advocating big government.

In an ensuing Twitter brawl, he sparred with Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who accused him of quoting a "Hitler ally like it's a Hallmark card."

Trump himself came under fire for tweeting a Mussolini quote during his 2016 presidential campaign.

He later defended the posting by saying that although he did not want to be associated with fascists, be believes it was "a very interesting quote" and he wants to be "associated with interesting quotes."

Trump's opponents themselves have never been too shy to use a catchy comparison of the 'literally Hitler' variety. High-profile Democrats have drawn the parallel on numerous occasions. In January, Rep. Hank Johnson, (D-GA) compared Trump's rise through the ranks to that of Hitler and accused him of inciting violence against his political opponents, just like the German dictator did.

"Hitler was accepting of violence towards the achievement of political objectives; Trump encouraged violence against protesters at his rallies," Johnson said.

In March, House Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) both compared Trump's policies to that of Hitler, with Nadler drawing parallels between Trump's hardline migration policy and the treatment of Jews in the Third Reich. 

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