Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz R-Texas spoke with Fox News Sean Hannity last night on the U.S. plan to destroy ISIS and the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey.
Sean Hannity: Joining me with more is Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Good to see you.
Sen. Ted Cruz: Sean great to be with you.
Hannity: Maybe you can shed some light this policy of the President. Your reaction.
Sen. Cruz: Its extraordinarily dangerous. From the beginning President Obamas response to ISIS has been fundamentally unserious. Whether it is golfing while terror attacks or whether it is admitting candidly to the world that he has no strategy. This administration is not doing the job that we need of a commander in chief to defend our nation. Today we had Secretary Hagel we had General Dempsey before the Armed Services Committee. I try to press them hard on the very simple question if the objective were to destroy ISIS. Not to degrade them not to limit their ability but to destroy them within 90 days what would be militarily necessary to do that. Im sorry to say neither gentleman could say that. General Dempsey said the military cant do that. Their focus seems far more focused on issues of political reconciliations on side issues. They were more of a social worker than military leaders.
Hannity: Senator I guess if you look at the bombings that took place yesterday so close Baghdad but thats only because ISIS has now accumulated all this territory that our troops died fighting for.
Sen. Cruz: Yes.
Hannity: Where is the sense of urgency for securing our border -- and well get into this with Congressman Gutierrez later. Considering that its so wide open were told that people from Yemen Syria Afghanistan and Pakistan are coming in. arent these problems we need to solve if we want to keep the American people safe?
Sen. Cruz: Absolutely. And youre right; there is no sense of urgency no sense of seriousness. Weve seen ISIS go from roughly 10000 fighters to now north of 30000. And the administrations approach -- ISIS right now is the face of evil. Theyre crucifying Christians theyre persecuting Christians theyve beheaded children theyve beheaded two American journalists on the global stage. Theyve promised to take jihad to our shores.
The Administrations response that they deal with this as a PR matter. Drop a bomb here send a missile here. When I asked General Dempsey militarily how would we go in and kill the terrorists before theyre able to take jihad to America his answer was well we need to see political reconciliation. We need to change the conditions on the ground so people are not susceptible to extremism. Look its not our job to be social workers in Iraq and put them all on expanded Medicaid. It is our job to kill terrorists who have declared war on America and who have demonstrated the intention and capability to murder innocent Americans.
Hannity: I would add to that secure the border?
Sen. Cruz: Absolutely to secure the border. And this is an administration who resolutely refuses to secure the border. Ill tell you the morale as you know well in the border patrol is at an all-time low because the political appointees are telling them not to do their job. And Sean what we ought to see in the Senate this week -- Ive introduced legislation that provides that any American who takes up arms with ISIS has through doing so forfeited his or her U.S. citizenship. We should not be letting people with U.S. passports come back from fighting with ISIS and carry out acts of terror here.
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz R-Texas spoke with Fox News Sean Hannity last night on the U.S. plan to destroy ISIS and the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey.
Sean Hannity: Joining me with more is Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Good to see you.
Sen. Ted Cruz: Sean great to be with you.
Hannity: Maybe you can shed some light this policy of the President. Your reaction.
Sen. Cruz: Its extraordinarily dangerous. From the beginning President Obamas response to ISIS has been fundamentally unserious. Whether it is golfing while terror attacks or whether it is admitting candidly to the world that he has no strategy. This administration is not doing the job that we need of a commander in chief to defend our nation. Today we had Secretary Hagel we had General Dempsey before the Armed Services Committee. I try to press them hard on the very simple question if the objective were to destroy ISIS. Not to degrade them not to limit their ability but to destroy them within 90 days what would be militarily necessary to do that. Im sorry to say neither gentleman could say that. General Dempsey said the military cant do that. Their focus seems far more focused on issues of political reconciliations on side issues. They were more of a social worker than military leaders.
Hannity: Senator I guess if you look at the bombings that took place yesterday so close Baghdad but thats only because ISIS has now accumulated all this territory that our troops died fighting for.
Sen. Cruz: Yes.
Hannity: Where is the sense of urgency for securing our border -- and well get into this with Congressman Gutierrez later. Considering that its so wide open were told that people from Yemen Syria Afghanistan and Pakistan are coming in. arent these problems we need to solve if we want to keep the American people safe?
Sen. Cruz: Absolutely. And youre right; there is no sense of urgency no sense of seriousness. Weve seen ISIS go from roughly 10000 fighters to now north of 30000. And the administrations approach -- ISIS right now is the face of evil. Theyre crucifying Christians theyre persecuting Christians theyve beheaded children theyve beheaded two American journalists on the global stage. Theyve promised to take jihad to our shores.
The Administrations response that they deal with this as a PR matter. Drop a bomb here send a missile here. When I asked General Dempsey militarily how would we go in and kill the terrorists before theyre able to take jihad to America his answer was well we need to see political reconciliation. We need to change the conditions on the ground so people are not susceptible to extremism. Look its not our job to be social workers in Iraq and put them all on expanded Medicaid. It is our job to kill terrorists who have declared war on America and who have demonstrated the intention and capability to murder innocent Americans.
Hannity: I would add to that secure the border?
Sen. Cruz: Absolutely to secure the border. And this is an administration who resolutely refuses to secure the border. Ill tell you the morale as you know well in the border patrol is at an all-time low because the political appointees are telling them not to do their job. And Sean what we ought to see in the Senate this week -- Ive introduced legislation that provides that any American who takes up arms with ISIS has through doing so forfeited his or her U.S. citizenship. We should not be letting people with U.S. passports come back from fighting with ISIS and carry out acts of terror here.
