“I understand that this anti-refugee position is certainly a popular thing to do. But most of the terrorists here in France appear to be French and Belgian citizens. I know that one of them got into the country embedding himself with refugees, but most of them did not. Most of them were citizens here in Europe and I don’t hear you or any of your fellow presidential candidates calling for European citizens to be banned from entering the United States.”
With a shocked face, Christie replied:
“Jake, how do you know that most of the terrorists are from Europe? How do you know that?” Christie shot back, “I mean, I’d love to know how you figured that one out.”
Actually Gov. Christie European Union officials figured that out after doing this crazy new thing called “investigating.” Apparently, you can learn a lot by gathering information and determining the facts before opening your mouth. Now this takes a lot more time than it takes to make up your own facts. But at the end of the day you’ll have more accurate information. Can I sign you up for a free trial today Gov. Christie?
Christie pretends to acknowledge Tapper’s point before adding:
“For you to make the blanket conclusion from that that most of the terrorists are folks who are from inside Europe just doesn’t wash with me. The fact is, we need to protect American homeland security first and foremost, and admitting people that the FBI director says cannot be vetted, I don’t care where they’re from.”
Ah, good old trusty RNXFMR (Republican Nationalistic Xenophobic Fear Mongering Rhetoric), always ready to use right out the box. It can be used to answer any question a journalist may ask, no matter what facts they confront you with. Here’s a (fictional) example:
Reporter: How was your drive this morning Gov. Christie?
Christie: You can ask me about my drive, but the fact is that we need to protect the American homeland security first and foremost from terrorist posing as Syrian refugees. It was fine thank you.
See how that works? Here’s a video of the rest of Christie’s interview.
Christie went on to criticize President Obama, though he didn’t specifically mention him by name. President Obama mocked Christie and his fellow republicans during a speech in the Philippines. The president made an indirect reference to statements Christie made earlier this week. President Obama said:
“At first, they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three-year-old orphans.”
Christie fired back at the President during his interview, saying:
“He allowed the situation in Syria to happen. He hasn’t set up a no-fly zone that could create a safe haven for these refugees to live safely in their own country, rather than having to scatter all across the world. And he’s the one who’s casting aspersions? It’s a joke. And he’s a joke on this issue.”
Christie goes on to say that we shouldn’t place our concerns about anyone else over our national security. That statement was a type of false equivalence. It’s like saying, “Sure you could give that homeless man a dollar or you could NOT get AIDS. But hey, I’m not telling you what to do. It’s your choice.”
Here’s an update on the so-called Syrian refugee terrorist that has Christie and his party spreading fear. The Syrian passport turned out to be fake. The bomber’s real name is unknown, however, European Union officials believe him to be an EU citizen who’s real name may be on a terrorist watch list. The terrorist died in suicide bombing at Stade de France. But count on Republicans like Christie to ignore the nuances, and spin this to suit their agendas.
Shocked face Christie even accused President Obama of living in a “fantasy world.” But one thing is clear: Republicans have created a special “fantasy world” of their own. It’s a fantasy world where gay marriage threatens to destroy “religious freedom,” where police brutality doesn’t exist, and the “War On Drugs” is working. It’s also where Syrian babies are cold-blooded ISIS suicide bombers.
