GREENVILLE, S.C. — Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker took shots at President Obama’s national security policies at the Citizens United Freedom Summit. Walker mentioned he was on his way to Israel to speak to Benjamin Netanyahu and others during his trip and noted how emotional he becomes when he sees reports of terrorism.
“It’s something I feel passionate about. You see people are very concerned about safety them selves and their family coworkers and their fellow citizens because of what we see around the world. Not just in the Middle Mast but now we see in other parts of the world. Even here on American soil.”
“When I watch a Jordanian pilot burned alive in a cage — when I see Christians in Egypt and else where in the world shot or beheaded just because of their faith, there’s something I feel right here,” he said. “You feel it in your heart and soul. You don’t read about it. National security is something you read about in a newspaper. Safety is something you feel.”
“You start to worry it’s not just about something else around the world. It’s something that can happen anywhere —France, Belgium, and Canada, and Texas. It can happen anywhere in the world,” he added.
Walker later spoke with reporters and said he feels that people “are impassioned.”
“They want to have leadership here again in America that puts a renewed focus on growing the economy and getting government out-of-the-way as opposed to building more power in Washington.”
He noted, “I think they want to take power out of Washington and put it back into the states and ultimately back into the hands of the people.”
Walker later spoke with reporters about issues surrounding Baltimore since the Freddie Gray riots erupted last month.
“I think there needs to be effective training at every level in law enforcement across the country and that we hold people accountable to abide by the practices of that training,” he told The Daily Caller.
“Obviously, there have been a few examples, not the least of which was one here in South Carolina where it was clear that the former officer was not using the training. I think in that case the response was appropriate as we all saw not only for him to be fired, but then for prosecutors to bring homicide charges up,” he said.
Walker explained that he attended a number of law enforcement memorials in Milwaukee and Madison this past week, noting his respect for law enforcement and their families, but also pointing out that police officers must provide equal treatment under the law.
“In terms of Baltimore, I’ve always said in any case, in my state, without knowing all the facts and without seeing all the visual evidence, I’m reluctant to comment on specifics, because I think that’s dangerous regardless which direction,” he said. “But my hope would be that those involved would look at the evidence objectively and take appropriate action.”
When asked about race relations, Walker replied that the issue is “bigger than Baltimore.”
“We see in cities across America some real concerns when it comes to race, we need leadership not just in Washington and not just in government. We need it at all levels,” he said.
He explained, “We need it at the local and the state level as well as in our nation. We need it not just for politicians and elected officials, we need it for leaders and clergy. We need it for business leaders and others out there and we need to address the issues that are creating tensions in terms of economic issues and in terms of education and other challenges out there. Those are things that I think we as a country need to address.”