WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie says President Barack Obama continues to underestimate the threat posed by Islamic State militants despite the Paris attacks.
“This is s cult of evil, everyone,” he said of the Islamic State group in a speech Tuesday to the Council on Foreign Relations. Christie called the Obama administration’s approach to the threat “naive and gravely dangerous.”
The New Jersey governor, who was a federal prosecutor during the 9/11 attacks, has long highlighted his resume as he tries to stand out in the Republican presidential field, especially during the heated debate over the expiration of the Patriot Act. But his arguments have found new urgency after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more, stoking new fears about potential attacks in the United States and a fierce debate about how the country should handle Syrian refugees. He is hoping the renewed focus on national security will help him revive his lagging campaign.
Christie is against allowing Syrian refugees into the country, even saying orphans under 5 should not be permitted. And he’s dismissed Obama’s assurances that Syrian refugees are subjected to a rigorous, years-long process, citing congressional testimony from FBI Director James Comey that information available on those seeking entry is often limited.
“We cannot allow ourselves at a time of great peril to put ourselves voluntarily at even greater risk just because there are some folks who believe that it’ll make our country look better,” Christie said. And he argued that Muslim-Americans will support his approach.