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Obama adviser: Stop Criticizing Anti-Terror Effort Posted on 2/7/2010
Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan criticized Republicans for playing politics on national security and making ignorant allegations about the investigation into the Christmas airliner plot.
Brennan said that politicians, many of them Republicans, were unfairly criticizing the administration for partisan purposes and second-guessing the case with a "500-mile screwdriver" that reaches from Washington to the scene of the abortive attack in Detroit.
John Brennan Comments Brennan said, "Quite frankly, I'm tiring of politicians using national security issues such as terrorism as a political football."
He said, "They are going out there. They're unknowing of the facts. And they're making charges and allegations that are not anchored in reality."
Personally Briefed Republicans Brennan said he had personally briefed top GOP lawmakers on Christmas night about Abdulmutallab's arrest and that none of them raised objections.
Brennan said, "There's been quite a bit of an outcry after the fact, where again, I'm just very concerned on behalf of counterterrorism professionals throughout our government, that politicians continue to make this a political football and are using it for whatever political or partisan purposes."
Brennan said he briefed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-OH, and the top Republicans on the congressional intelligence committees, Sen. Kit Bond, R-MO, and Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-MI.
Suspect Treated Like other Terror Suspects Brennan said that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was treated no differently than any other terror suspect arrested on U.S. soil.
He said that the FBI and others involved in his arrest acted appropriately.
Brennan said, "I think those counterterrorism professionals deserve the support of our Congress."
He said, "And rather than second-guessing what they are doing on the ground with a 500-mile screwdriver from Washington to Detroit, I think they have to have confidence in the knowledge and the experience of these counterterrorism professionals."
Justice System will Prevail Brennan said, "I have no doubt that the American justice system will prevail. Despite the claims and the criticisms of a lot of folks, including in Congress, that our judicial system is unable to handle these terrorists, I believe that our system of justice here is strong."
