Cruz: Scrubbing Documents Threatens Homeland Security

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was on the attack Thursday as he took Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to task for laundering intelligence and counterterrosim documents to ensure words such as “Jihad,” “Muslim,” and “Islam” never appear.

Johnson tried to argue with Cruz and denied there was an effort to “purge” the Obama administration’s documents of the words Cruz cited. He lectured Cruz that saying ISIS was connected to Islam works to the advantage of the terrorist group.

“You’re entitled to give speeches other times,” Cruz said. “My question was if you were aware that the information has been scrubbed.”

Cruz also refused to quietly tolerate Johnson’s contention that the scrubbing of documents to avoid words such as “radical Islam” was, as Johson said, a “semantic difference.”

“When you erase references to radical jihad, it impacts the behavior of law enforcement and national security to respond to red flags and prevent terrorist attacks before they occur,” Cruz said.

The two then locked horns over the Fort Hood shooting of 2009, in which 13 people were killed and more than 30 wounded. .

Cruz asked Johnson if it had been a “mistake” not to respond to the “red flags” about shooter Nidal Hasan,

“In one minute, I couldn’t begin to answer your question,” Johnson said.

“Pick anything,” Cruz replied. “Pick one thing, sir.”

“You’re assuming that the federal government in advance of the attack on Fort Hood saw all these different red flags. That’s not correct,” Johnson said.

“Is it true or false that the Obama administration knew before the attack that Nidal Hasan was communicating with Anwar al-Awlaki?” Cruz asked.

“How are you defining the ‘Obama administration,’ sir?” Johnson said.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Cruz responded.

“The entire Federal Bureau of Investigation? I can’t answer that question sitting here,” Johnson answered.

“The answer is ‘yes’ and it’s public record, sir,” Cruz said, ending the discussion.

“Johnson can deny it all he wants, but it seems pretty clear the Obama administration has bent over backwards to ensure the Muslim community is spared any hurt feelings by their refusal to acknowledge radical Islamic terrorism as the main threat facing our nation right now,” wrote Michael Cantrell on Allen B. West.

“The fact that official documents would be scrubbed of such references due to our culture’s obsession with political correctness is a sad commentary on the times we inhabit,” he added. “Until we as a nation are ready to admit radical Islam is a true threat to our national security, the proper measures will not be taken to dismantle terror groups who want to wipe out our way of life.” (For more from the author of “Cruz: Scrubbing Documents Threatens Homeland Security” please click HERE)

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