Politics

White House Spokesman: Republicans More Focused On Politics Than National Security [VIDEO]

Steve Guest Media Reporter
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White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that Republican-backed legislation to pause the inflow of Syrian refugees is “much more focused on politics than it is national security.”

In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Earnest said that the White House will continue to “make clear that their political arguments are not good for our national security.” (RELATED: Growing List Of Governors Say They Won’t Accept Syrian Refugees)

“Morning Joe” panelist John Heilemann asked Earnest about President Barack Obama’s political attacks on Republicans. Dem. Senator: Obama Administration Has No ‘Clear Strategy’ Against ISIS

Earnest responded, “Well, John, the fact of the matter is this rhetoric that we see from Republican candidates for president and even from some Republican members of Congress who are offering up legislation suggesting we should somehow put a halt to our refugee program, the fact of the matter is legislation like that is much more focused on politics than it is national security.”

“And so if you want the commander in chief and the president of the United States to be focused on doings what’s in the national security interests of the United States, the president believes clearly that rhetoric like were seeings from the Republicans side only serves the ISIL argument, that they are leading a war of Islam against the West,” said Earnest. (RELATED: Obama Accuses Republicans Of Being ‘Worried About Three-Year-Old Orphans’ [VIDEO])

“The fact of the matter is the West is not at war with Islam, and this is a point that President Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush made on a number of occasions. And for Republicans to erode that progress and erode that effort and undermine that message only serves to advance the argument of ISIL,” insisted Earnest.

“So the president standing up and speaking out about this does serve our national security interest and does make clear that their political arguments are not good for our national security. And the president is not going to hesitate to make that point, regardless of who makes it.”

Republican National Committee spokesman James Hewitt told The Daily Caller, “The Obama Administration’s attempt to politicize the security of Americans is despicable.”

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