Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., spoke on behalf of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, in a Google hangout organized by USINPAC. Hunter said the Indian-Pakistan relationship is an overarching question for U.S. foreign policy. (Wikipedia photo)
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., speaking May 17 on behalf of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, reiterated the candidate’s position for a ‘time out’ on Muslims entering the U.S., saying there was no way to know if they were affiliated with terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al Qaeda.
“How do you tell if someone coming from the Middle East or a European nation is not coming over for nefarious purposes? There’s no way to prove what someone’s allegiance is,” said Hunter, a former web designer who — after the 9/11 terrorist attacks — joined the U.S. military and served two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The congressman — speaking of behalf of Trump at a Google hangout organized by the US-India Political Action Committee — said he was not certain how such allegiances could be proved, but stated: “We want to make sure they’re not part of a sleeper cell or someone who wants to do harm to Americans.” He called for a ‘time out’ until a methodology was developed to identify Muslim terrorists attempting to enter the U.S.
Hunter deflected a question from moderator Manish Antani who noted that India has the second-largest population of Muslims in the world, who peacefully co-exist with other religions in the country. Antani asked if Muslims from India would also be banned, the congressman said he was unable to respond on Trump’s behalf.
Hunter also side-stepped a major question on the India-U.S. relationship, noting that Trump has not yet announced a policy position. From a personal point of view, Hunter said: “The India-Pakistan relationship is an over-arching question for U.S. foreign policy. How does the U.S. help India check Pakistan while helping Pakistan check itself?”
The congressman approved of the recent, much-debated sale of eight F-15 fighter jets to Pakistan, noting that the only relationship the U.S. has to the country is through military sales and military-to-military action, especially in intelligence to stem the tide of terrorism from the country.
He noted Trump’s position on trade, stating: “This is probably not the happiest issue for India, but it is time for better trade agreements.”
“After NAFTA (the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement signed by the U.S., Mexico and Canada) San Diegans lost thousands of jobs which went overseas. It was a complete disaster,” said the Southern California congressman, who serves as a congressional coach for Trump’s campaign, and chairs the “Veterans for Trump” committee.
“There’s a reason people want to come to this country: it is the greatest nation in the world. The challenge before us is how do we put Americans first again,” said Hunter, urging listeners to get involved with Trump’s campaign.
Source: India West