Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Representative Sue Myrick (R, NC-9), who is leading the charge nationally on issues related to terrorism. The founder of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus, she has recently called for an investigation of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). FP: Rep. Sue Myrick, welcome to Frontpage Interview.
Myrick: Thank you Jamie.
FP: It is an honor to speak with you.
I’d like to talk to you today about a few things connected to our terror war, especially the tragedy that just occurred at Fort Hood and also your call for CAIR to be investigated.
Let’s start with the jihad at Fort Hood. What are your thoughts?
Myrick: My first thoughts were of the families of the victims. These are our soldiers, the people who sign up to defend our country, and you just can’t imagine what their loved ones are going through. But this isn’t something that we can ignore. The shooter was radicalized and was a jihadist. The several terror plots uncovered across the country over the past few months all have one common thing: they are all connected by a radical global ideology that is self-identified by its believers as jihadist, or “jihadiyya.” These men were from different backgrounds and races, yet they were all guided by this radical ideology. The American people need to wake up and realize this is not going to stop. We need to seriously address the issue of this radical ideology. That is why I have been working with many mainstream moderate Muslims, and trying to help empower them to speak out and confront this radical ideology within their community.
FP: And this radical ideology has been very much been protected and bolstered by groups like CAIR.
Tell us why you have called for an investigation of that supposed Muslim “civil rights” organization.
Myrick: The FBI has publicly stated CAIR has ties to HAMAS, a designated terrorist organization. This was clearly stated in a letter the FBI sent to Sen. Jon Kyl on April 28, 2009:
“As you know, CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development in the United States v. Holy Land Foundation et al. (Cr. No. 3:04-240-P (N.D.TX.). During that trial, evidence was introduced that demonstrated a relationship among CAIR, individual CAIR founders (including its current President Emeritus and its Executive Director) and the Palestinian Committee. Evidence was also introduced that demonstrated a relationship between the Palestinian Committee and HAMAS, which was designated a terrorist organization in 1995. In light of that evidence, the FBI suspended all formal contacts between CAIR and the FBI.”
If CAIR has been successful at placing interns on the offices of Members who serve on the Homeland Security, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees for the purpose of influencing policy, the Members have a right to know. The American people have a right to know.
Why would anyone allow a group, who the FBI says is tied to terrorism, to influence national security policy, or any policy for that matter? If the FBI has cut ties with CAIR, Congress should wake up and do the same.
FP: Why do you think Congress has been so slow moving in on CAIR?
Myrick: We are not the first Members of Congress who have raised questions about CAIR. In February of this year, Senators John Kyl, Charles Schumer and Tom Coburn sent a letter to the FBI expressing support for the Bureau cutting ties with CAIR, and called for a government-wide policy of not working with CAIR. However, the first thing that CAIR does when anyone – government or otherwise – speaks out against them is to label them as hate mongers, bigots and racists. It’s this type of negative image that has probably kept more Members of Congress from speaking out against CAIR, which has ties to the terrorist organization HAMAS.
FP: David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry just came out with their new book, Muslim Mafia. You wrote the foreword to this revealing book, which exposes how a Muslim mafia has infiltrated many layers of our government and society. What do you make of the book and its message?
Myrick: It’s a very eye-opening book that I think the American people should read so that they have a better understanding of just how pervasive the influence of this radical organization is within our government. I find it very telling that CAIR has only attacked the authors of the book and has not disputed any of the claims made in the book or the validity of any of the documents.
FP: CAIR has filed suit against the David Gaubatz, one of the Muslim Mafia authors. Your thoughts?
Myrick: I’m not surprised that CAIR has filed a lawsuit against Gaubatz, but I’m glad that this matter is getting attention. I say that we investigate everything. Let’s investigate the claims made by the authors and how they got the material. And let’s investigate and shine some light on CAIR’s books, operations, and to whom they are connected. No matter what happens, we need to make sure that the facts prevail.
FP: Brigitte Gabriel’s organization ACT! for America has launched a national petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR. People can join in signing this petition at ActforAmerica.org.
Your take on an effort like this?
Myrick: I’m thankful for any group that’s willing to take a stand on this issue. The American people aren’t going to get the facts about CAIR from the mainstream media, so it’s important that groups like ACT! For America get the information out to their membership.
FP: Your views on the Obama administration’s handling of national security so far as it pertains to the threat of radical Islam on our territory?
Myrick: The President’s actions with regard to national security haven’t helped us at all, especially when talking about radical Islamists and self-proclaimed jihadists. Earlier this year, the administration decided that “jihadists” would be called “violent extremists” and the “global war on terror” is now a “transnational conflict.” What the President seems to be missing is that the terrorists call themselves “jihadists.” If you look at recent FBI reports regarding the terrorist plots uncovered in the US over the past few months – all of them state the suspects wanted to commits “jihad.” Again, this is how the terrorists label themselves. If we would label them as such, we could know our enemy, and their goals, objectives and beliefs, to ensure we can defeat their efforts to harm us.
The administration has also released our interrogation techniques to the world. No matter where you stand on interrogation in general, we can agree that letting the bad guys know what’s going to happen to them when they’re caught doesn’t make us safer.
CIA agents are also being investigated, for a second time on the same evidence, based on what we asked them to do to keep us safe. What incentive do current agents have to do their jobs if they know they’re going to be punished for it?
FP: What do we need to do to more effectively confront Islamic jihad?
Myrick: We must identify our enemy. We are fighting against radical Islamists who are using political Islam to advance their agenda to create a Caliphate, an Islamic state, and jihadists who use violent means to do the same. We need to educate the American public about our enemy, so they know their goals, objectives, and strategies, so that we can stand together and confront them. We must also make sure that we maintain, and strengthen our national security policy as well as ensure our intelligence officials, and military, have the resources and the freedom that they need to do their jobs and keep us safe.
I also encourage people to visit my website and learn more about the work we are doing on these issues. We have recently released the “Wake Up America 2.0 Agenda”, which tries to set a national security agenda on these issues.
FP: Rep. Sue Myrick, thank you for joining Frontpage Interview. It was a pleasure and an honor to speak with you today.
Myrick: It’s been my pleasure. Thank you.
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